The Silent Culture Killer: When ‘Efficient’ Becomes Robotic

Written By Rebecca Sanchez

Warning Signs: When Efficiency Is Making Your Team Robotic

We all want our teams to be efficient. 
But what happens when efficiency becomes robotic? 

One of the patterns I’ve seen in organizations is this: 

In the name of “getting things done,” teams stop asking questions. 
They stop exploring new ideas. 
They stop showing up fully alive. 

I’ve seen it. 
I’ve done it. 
And I’m catching myself right now as I build something completely new — a nonprofit. 

When Nick and I started the Lifelong Wellbeing Foundation, neither of us had run a nonprofit before. 
We were figuring it out in real time — using AI, talking to experts, Googling late at night. 
It was messy. 
It was inefficient. 
And it was alive. 

But the truth is — that’s how all new things feel. 

That’s how creativity works. 
And once something stops feeling new, there’s a danger: 

You stop asking the curious questions that make the work meaningful. 

I see this all the time in organizations with mature processes or long-running teams. 
People go through the motions. 
The spark dims. 
They don’t push the work further — they just “get it done.” 

That’s when you need to pause and ask: 

  • Are we solving the right problems? 

  • Are we inviting fresh perspectives? 

  • Are we creating space for curiosity? 

I use generative AI not just to draft content, but to ask me better questions — to help me think differently when I’ve gone into autopilot. 

It’s easy to miss the warning signs when a team looks productive on the surface. 
But here’s what to watch for: 

  • Low energy or quiet meetings 

  • Rushed decisions with no debate 

  • “We’ve always done it this way” thinking 

  • Lack of new ideas or creative tension 

According to MIT Sloan, teams that regularly challenge their own assumptions outperform their peers by up to 35%. 

If your team feels like they’re running the same playbook on repeat — 
It’s time to pause. 
Create the space. 
And invite better questions. 

Next week: we’ll wrap this series with a vision for what’s possible when we get this right.  

P.S. I help leaders run “Culture Pulse-Check” sessions to bring energy and curiosity back to their teams. Hit reply and let me know if you’d like to learn more. 

Rebecca Sanchez
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Increase Productivity Without Killing Culture (Here’s How)