How to Change a Toxic Workplace Culture: The Paradigm Shifts Leaders Must Make

There is a common trend in organizations: leaders acknowledge that change is needed. They see the value in DEI work, and they genuinely want to embody equity, dignity, and social justice.

But nothing changes.

If leaders value change, why do organizations still struggle to achieve equitable treatment, anti-racist working environments, and real safety at work?

One reason is that many change efforts focus on external fixes without creating internal shifts. Leaders want different outcomes, but they skip an essential step: changing the assumptions that shape their decisions, reactions, and relationships. Another reason is that organizations do not create a plan for shifting the paradigms that quietly run the system.

A quick definition: What is a paradigm shift?

A paradigm is a working model. It is the typical and assumed way people think and operate in a system. Paradigms include thought patterns, beliefs, and behaviors. They shape what people believe is “right,” what gets rewarded, what gets punished, and what becomes normal.

A paradigm shift is a change in how we understand a problem and what we believe must be true to solve it. In workplace culture, paradigm shifts are the difference between surface-level efforts (policies, posters, one-time trainings) and sustainable change (new norms, consistent leadership behaviors, and clear accountability).

The challenge is that many paradigms are unspoken. There is no document titled “Here is what we collectively believe.” That makes them hard to name, hard to change, and easy to reinforce without realizing it.

Many of the paradigms in the American workforce actively work against safety, equity, and well-being. They can remain hidden even to the people who hold them. That is why trauma-informed leadership includes dismantling paradigms that create harm and replacing them with belief systems that serve everyone.

What makes a workplace feel “toxic”?

A workplace is often experienced as toxic when people feel consistently unsafe, unseen, or powerless. That can show up through patterns like:

• communication that relies on fear, shame, or blame

• conflict that escalates, or conflict that is avoided until it explodes

• unclear expectations and inconsistent accountability

• values that are stated but not practiced

• high workload with low control, low support, and little repair

  
  

The goal is not to label people as toxic. The goal is to identify the patterns that keep the system stuck and shift them.

When these patterns become normal, the organization’s paradigm quietly reinforces harm, even when leaders have good intentions.

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How to initiate a paradigm shift

Because paradigms are collective beliefs, paradigm shifts require both individual and system change.

This is where organizations often get stuck. Leaders oversee decisions, set the tone, and reinforce norms through what they tolerate or repair. Without leadership involvement, shifting a paradigm becomes significantly harder.

The simple, not-so-simple answer is trauma-informed implementation. Sustainable culture change requires practice, reinforcement, and repair over time. That is why trauma-informed implementation typically takes multiple years, not a single initiative.

For the rest of this article, assume the organization is ready. Leaders agree that change is needed. People are resourced. The question becomes: what paradigms are we seeking to change?

One of the most practical paradigm shifts we teach leaders is how to interpret behavior under stress, and what to do next.

A core paradigm shift in trauma-informed workplaces

A major trauma-informed paradigm shift moves through three stages:

1. What’s wrong with you?

2. What happened to you?

3. What’s strong in you?

   
   

Each stage changes how leaders interpret behavior, how they respond to conflict, and how safe people feel inside the system.

Stage 1: The standard paradigm, “What’s wrong with you?”

In the “What’s wrong with you?” paradigm, when someone behaves in a challenging way, we quickly identify the person’s faults. The focus shifts to judgment and punishment, not to understanding and repair.

In workplaces, this often shows up as blame, public correction, avoidance of accountability, and a culture where mistakes feel dangerous.

When this mindset is present, it can be difficult to admit our own mistakes. Many people become defensive because the system is not safe for accountability. For someone with trauma, this dynamic can trigger a fight, flight, or freeze response.

If an organization is trying to build equity and safety, this paradigm creates predictable harm. It often leads to blame, shame, and escalating conflict. It also erodes trust because people learn that mistakes are dangerous.

Leader focus in this stage: slow down judgment, reduce public shame, and increase clarity about expectations and support.

Stage 2: The emerging paradigm, “What happened to you?”

A trauma-informed perspective moves away from “What’s wrong with you?” and toward awareness of trauma and chronic stress.

In workplaces, this looks like leaders slowing down escalation, responding with skill, and designing meetings and feedback practices that reduce threat.

This stage is not about interrogating someone’s history. It is about understanding that many behaviors are automatic threat responses. When people feel unsafe, they lose access to brain regions that support reasoning, flexibility, and problem-solving.

This idea has become more widely known, in part because of Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey’s 2021 book, What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing.

The key benefit of this paradigm is that it increases compassion and reduces blame. However, a trauma-informed approach does not stop at understanding trauma. It is a “yes and” proposition. Yes, trauma matters, and we also need to build capacity, agency, and action-oriented change.

Leader focus in this stage: respond instead of react, normalize regulation, and build repair practices after conflict.

This connects closely to how fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses show up at work

Stage 3: The trauma-informed shift, “What’s strong in you?”

The next stage is strengths-based. It asks, “What’s strong in you?” and looks for resilience, capability, and connection.

In workplaces, this looks like strengths-based leadership, clear expectations, consistent boundaries, and accountability that protects dignity.

This is not toxic positivity. It is a shift toward seeing people as whole, capable, and worthy of dignity. It also changes how organizations design systems. Instead of expecting people to “push through” harm, leaders create conditions that support regulation, clarity, and trust.

When organizations embody this paradigm, they move closer to trauma-informed goals. They empower one another, strengthen community, and create workplaces where accountability can exist without humiliation.

Leader focus in this stage: reinforce strengths, build skillful feedback norms, and make safety and dignity non-negotiable.

What leaders do differently when the paradigm shifts

Paradigm shifts must show up in behavior. Otherwise, they remain good ideas.

Here are a few practical examples of what changes when leaders move from blame to trauma-informed practice:

• Leaders separate behavior from identity. They address impact without labeling the person as the problem.

• Leaders clarify expectations early and consistently so accountability is not random.

• Leaders normalize repair, including apologizing and resetting after conflict.

• Leaders teach and practice regulation strategies because culture is nervous-system shaped.

• Leaders build shared language for difficult moments so people know what to say and what to do. If you want examples, here are 9 phrases that build relationships at work.

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What to do this week (a simple starting plan)

If you want culture change that sticks, start small and consistent:

1. Identify the top two patterns causing harm (for example: fear of speaking up, conflict without repair).

2. Choose one norm to implement (for example: “repair within 48 hours,” “no public shame,” “clear expectations before deadlines”).

3. Equip managers with shared language for difficult moments and practice it together.

4. Measure one signal for 30 days (turnover intent, pulse safety score, sick days, HR escalations, meeting participation).

   
   

You have the power to shift the paradigm

Change starts with you. By building awareness and becoming a trauma-informed leader, you can create change in your organization and in your community.

If this resonates, your organization may benefit from our resources and services:

• Download our free Guide to Trauma-Informed Implementation

• Request a culture consult to plan your next steps with a trauma-informed expert

• Explore training, workshops, and consulting to support trauma-informed implementation at the systems level