When Employees Are Open With Each Other, But Not Management
When Employees Are Open With Each Other, But Not Management
When Employees Are Open With Each Other, But Not Management
By Amy C. Edmondson
January 16, 2020
Summary
An organization is in serious trouble when most discussions on crucial issues take place in side conversations, rather than in formal meetings, where concerns can be addressed thoughtfully with people in a position to instigate a change of course.
Recent news reports on Boeing reveal what appears to be an epidemic of side conversations about the 737 Max jetliner.
The 117 pages of internal communications turned over to the U.S. Congress last week paint a damning portrait of Boeing's culture - captured in persistent side conversations.
Side conversations occur because people believe it's not acceptable to tell the truth publicly.
They happen because employees have learned that meetings are places where you go along with the boss or the majority, even if you disagree with what's being decided or planned.
Here's how to tell whether your organization might be plagued by an unhealthy degree of side conversations.
During a development process, an overwhelming emphasis on speed or profit drives out conversations about a new offering's quality and safety and/or a new product or service is discussed in only positive terms in formal progress meetings.
The way to heal a "Sick" culture is to help all employees recognize that side conversations about substantive issues are a source of organizational pathology.
Because of escalating uncertainty and risk in many industries, building a healthy culture for candid, challenging conversations has never been more important.
It's time to drive side conversations back onto the center stage.
Reference
Edmondson, A. C. (2020, January 16). When Employees Are Open With Each Other, But Not Management. Retrieved January 28, 2020, from https://hbr.org/2020/01/when-employees-are-open-with-each-other-but-not-management