Workplace cliques: The culture issue organisations often overlook
Organisational culture shapes how people behave and relate to each other at work. One pattern that repeatedly appears in team diagnostics, engagement surveys and leadership discussions is the presence of workplace cliques. They show up in many organisations, across sectors and industries, yet we rarely talk about them openly, and even less often do we understand how to manage them.
Cliques are not always harmful.
People naturally gravitate towards similarity, shared experience and belonging. Humans form in-groups. It’s how we feel safe.
But when an informal friendship group develops influence, or begins to affect who gets information, opportunities or voice, the impact on organisational culture becomes harder to ignore.
What workplace cliques look like in everyday organisational culture
Cliques appear long before they're named. Common signs include:
Information shared selectively
Social groups influencing decisions
Team members feeling "in" or "out"
Subtle exclusion or incivility
Hesitation to speak up in meetings
Resistance to new joiners or change
None of these behaviours need to be extreme to shape team dynamics. Often, the impact is gradual: culture changes, trust weakens, communication narrows.
This is how cliques subtly influence organisational culture.
Why workplace cliques deserve more attention
Despite being common in companies, public services, and charities, workplace cliques are under-researched in organisational psychology. We have established literature on bullying, psychological safety, leadership and culture, but cliques sit in a grey space between them: Not quite conflict; not quite bullying; not always toxic; but culturally powerful.
Leaders often see the behaviours but lack a clear evidence-based approach for responding. Policies rarely mention cliques. Culture frameworks skim over them. And yet staff consistently describe them in culture diagnostics, exit interviews and informal feedback.
We all know cliques exist.
We just don’t talk about them in a structured way.
My research: focusing on cliques in healthcare organisational culture
To help address this gap, I’m currently researching how leaders respond to workplace cliques in healthcare organisations as part of my doctoral work. Healthcare is a complex environment where belonging, hierarchy, identity and stress intersect - making it a powerful setting for studying cliques.
While my research focuses on healthcare, the reflections apply across sectors.
If we understand:
How cliques form,
what sustains them,
how leaders interpret them,
which responses help or escalate,
… we can develop practical guidance to prevent incivility and improve organisational culture more effectively.
A reflection for you
What do workplace cliques make easier in your organisation, and what do they block?
A simple question, but it often reveals cultural patterns that sit beneath the surface.
If you work in the NHS and have experience with workplace cliques, there is still time to take part in my research.
For more information, see my post on LinkedIn by following the link below:
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