Many CIOs operate within a culture of fear

A culture of fear is also linked to a relentless business environment, common in the IT industry, Yarotsky says. “When you use this fast pace for a long time, stress builds up, and the leadership team can become especially reactionary to bad news,” he says. “Eventually, a few incorrect words said in the wrong moment can create a precedent.”

Such a culture often starts at the top, says Jack Allen, CEO and chief Salesforce architect at ITequality, a Salesforce consulting firm. Allen experienced this scenario in the early days of building a career, suggesting the problems may be bigger than the survey respondents indicate.

“If the leader is unwilling to admit mistakes or punishes mistakes in an unfair way, then the next layer of leadership will be afraid to admit mistakes as well,” Allen says. “In my experience, even when I confronted my manager with sound evidence, I was still told I was wrong, so, over time, I learned not to try to explain myself.”