Committed to Comfort Part II: Culture Is Not a Cloak for Comfort

A Gemisode® Series

 

If Part I asked us to confront the psychology behind resistance to change, Part II takes us deeper—into something more subtle but just as dangerous: how culture becomes the cloak that comfort hides behind.

Here’s the thing: comfort doesn’t just show up in what people do—it shows up in what organizations protect. And what’s most protected? Culture.

You’ll hear it everywhere:

• “We’re like a family.” 
• “We move with intention.” 
• “We’re building the plane while we fly it.” 
• “That’s just how we’ve always done things.” 
• “It works for us.”
  

Except (spoiler alert!)—it’s not working.

What you really have is stagnation masked as tradition. Groupthink hiding behind ‘consensus.’ And real issues sugarcoated with ‘values-speak’ that don’t match behaviors.

Let’s be EXTRA clear: culture isn’t what’s written on your website—it’s what gets rewarded, ignored, or avoided in real life.

And in too many workplaces, culture is weaponized to preserve comfort. So, let’s talk about cultural performance because organizations say they want to be transparent, inclusive, and collaborative—but those values fall apart when comfort is challenged.

What shows up instead?

• Silencing, not inclusion. Dissenting voices are labeled “not a team player.” 
• Deference, not transparency. Hard truths are softened into “constructive feedback” that avoids accountability. 
• People-pleasing, not collaboration. Decisions are made behind closed doors but recast as “consensus.” 

If someone raises concerns about inequity, poor performance, or burnout, they’re told: “We’re all doing our best—this isn’t the time.” Sound familiar? That’s not culture. That’s control. The real damage? Culture  is used as a cloak to reinforces inaction!

Here’s how a comfort-cloaked culture slows progress:

1. Groupthink Becomes the Norm
   When teams prioritize harmony over healthy tension, innovation plummets. 
2. Accountability Gets Outsourced
   No one wants to be the “difficult one,” so they wait for someone else to speak up—or worse, they leave.  By the way, Harvard Business Review research shows that lack of psychological trust is one of the top predictors of high turnover in change-resistant teams.
3. Emotional Labor Falls on a Few
   The burden of driving change often lands on those who are already marginalized—women, people of color, and other historically excluded groups. They’re expected to manage up, protect culture, and push for progress while others stay silent. That’s not empowerment—it’s exploitation.

Culture Shouldn’t Coddle Comfort—It Should Challenge It

Done right, culture doesn’t avoid discomfort—it makes space for it. Truly strong cultures normalize feedback, welcome truth-tellers, and embrace healthy tension as fuel for evolution. They don’t prevent accountability—they demand it.

But that requires leadership that isn’t just aspirational—but aligned. When your values are just words on a wall, and the loudest person in the room is rewarded over the most thoughtful? What you’re running isn’t culture—it’s a comfort club.

Here’s Another Truth: Comfort Is Expensive (Like, VERY)

Not just emotionally—but operationally…

• Groupthink delays innovation and slows decision-making. According to the Academy of Management Journal, groupthink stifles creativity as people self-censor rather than challenge the status quo. 
• “Niceness” erodes performance standards. 
• Avoiding tough conversations leads to misalignment, burnout, and client dissatisfaction. 
• Exclusion—of internal experts, external help, or new perspectives—results in missed opportunities and higher failure rates.
  

Comfort might feel good in the moment—but it’s quietly draining your business of momentum.  So what now? Start by asking yourself:

1. What does your culture actually reward? 
2. Who gets listened to—and who gets ignored? 
3. Who avoids accountability under the guise of “good intentions”? 
4. What values are repeatedly named but rarely lived?
   

Because if your culture protects comfort over progress, you’re not building alignment—you’re enabling stagnation!

Coming Up in Part III – We’ll get specific about the real cost of comfort—because it’s not just culture or leadership that takes the hit. Hint: It’s your brand, your bottom line, and your ability to retain and attract top talent. But more importantly? We’ll break down what to do about it—because we’re not just here to name the patterns. We’re here to help you break them!