By Jonathan H. Westover, PhD
Listen to this article:
Abstract: This article explores the importance and challenges of speaking up constructively at work, as well as practical recommendations for organizations to promote this critical yet difficult behavior. Key reasons why transparency matters for success like error-catching, innovation, and decision-making are outlined. Common systemic barriers that discourage voicing alternative perspectives, such as fear of retribution and issues of trust, are then examined. The recommendations section provides tangible actions leaders can take to foster psychological safety and respect, like modeling openness, using light-weight processes, and acknowledging contributions. Examples demonstrate applying these approaches within technology and healthcare settings. Overall, the essay argues that with intentional efforts to cultivate inclusion and learning, diverse viewpoints can enhance workplaces when shared and heard responsibly.
As a management consultant with over 15 years of experience working with organizations across many industries, one theme that continually surfaces is the challenge of speaking up and sharing important perspectives, especially when there may be disagreements or risks involved. While open communication is essential for organizational success, the reality is that speaking up is rarely simple or without complexity.
Today we will explore why speaking up matters, the various barriers that often prevent it, and practical recommendations for doing so respectfully and effectively.
Why Speaking Up is So Important
The ability of an organization to adapt, improve decisions, prevent failures and learn from mistakes hinges greatly on the willingness of its people to openly communicate valuable insights (Morrison, 2014). However, research has shown that the dynamics occurring within many workplaces systematically discourage transparency and alternative thinking. Some key reasons why speaking up should be encouraged include:
Catching Errors: Speaking up allows for a "collective mind" where more views are represented, increasing the chances of catching oversight or flawed assumptions early on (Okhuysen & Eisenhardt, 2002). This type of input can help remedy issues before they become costlier problems.
Fostering Innovation: New perspectives and questions spur creativity and challenge status quos, qualities essential for innovation (Detert & Burris, 2007). When employees do not feel safe sharing fresh ideas, an organization's ability to adapt is weakened.
Enhancing Decision-Making: Integrating diverse opinions leads to considering more alternatives and angles, strengthening the decision-making process (O'Reilly, Williams, & Barsade, 1997). Excluding certain voices opens the door to poor or misguided decisions.
Improving Culture: An atmosphere where people respectfully provide feedback fosters greater psychological safety, buy-in, motivation and overall organizational health (Walumbwa & Schaubroeck, 2009).
Barriers to Speaking Up
While the returns of speaking up are tremendous, various barriers prevent many well-intentioned employees from doing so. Some common obstacles include:
Fear of Retribution: The perceived risks of retaliation (e.g. job loss), resentment from superiors, or damaged relationships discourage transparency (Detert & Treviño, 2010). This fear is often reinforced when speaking up is punished.
Lack of Invitations: When leaders set norms of only wanting to hear positive news or showing disinterest in alternative ideas, it discourages contrary input (Burris, 2012).
Credibility Problems: Newer or less tenured employees in particular can worry their perspectives will not be seriously considered or that they lack authority (Milliken et al., 2003).
Issues of Trust: A history of broken promises, hidden agendas or manipulation erode trust necessary for openness (Edmondson, 1999).
Face-Saving: The human desire to avoid embarrassment or looking "wrong" constrains sharing views liable to face criticism (Dyne, Ang, & Botero, 2003).
Habits of Silence: Some workplace cultures are simply accustomed to withholding opinions and information as the safest approach (Morrison & Milliken, 2000).
Rather than faults of individuals, these common barriers point to systemic challenges within organizations themselves. Addressing underlying dynamics is key to enabling greater speaking up.
Recommendations for Respectful Speaking Up
Based on my experiences and the research literature, here are practical recommendations for leaders seeking to foster an atmosphere where people respectfully share important perspectives:
Model Openness Yourself - Leaders set the tone. Demonstrate your own willingness to hear different views, admit mistakes, and modify decisions based on new information. This inspires trust and reassurance (Hirak, Peng, Carmeli, & Schaubroeck, 2012).
Clearly Communicate Expectations - Express that you value transparency and diversity of thought. Normalize respectful challenging of ideas. Specify what types of input are most helpful at different points in processes (Amy C. Edmondson, 1999).
Use Lightweight Processes - Create lightweight structures like weekly "parking lot" sessions or suggestion boxes to more casually solicit diverse opinions without large risks associated (Garud, Tuertscher, & Van de Ven, 2013).
Provide Psychological Safety - Explicitly communicate that no one will be punished for respectfully sharing views. Check assumptions and biases that may disadvantage certain voices (Walumbwa & Schaubroeck, 2009).
Facilitate Difficult Conversations - When controversies arise, take an active role in moderating discussions and ensuring all feel heard.Surface underlying interests to find "expanding pie" solutions (Schein, 2013).
Acknowledge Contributions - Publicly thank those who bring up issues, even if final decisions differ. Recognition reinforces that input is valuable and risk-taking is worthwhile (O'Reilly & Pfeffer, 2000).
Lead with Empathy and Humility - Approach challenges and critics with empathy, curiosity and humility rather than defensiveness. This invites openness and learning on all sides (Schein & Schein, 2018).
Recommendation in Action: Consulting Example
To bring these ideas to life, consider this example from my experience consulting with a Fortune 500 technology firm:
The IT department head came to me concerned about low risk-taking within teams critical for innovation. After assessing barriers (see Barriers to Speaking Up section), we implemented several recommendations:
Modeling open discussions of failures in weekly update meetings
Using anonymous online forums for ideas without repercussions
Having managers express curiosity about dissenting perspectives
Publicly commending attempts that advanced understanding
These "lightweight processes" created psychological safety while the leader modeled openness. Within months, idea sharing doubled and innovative new projects emerged from discussions that once faced silence. Renewed transparency addressed deeper issues constructively.
Recommendation in Action: Healthcare Industry Example
Within healthcare, where mistakes can have serious consequences, speaking up is also crucial yet challenging. Consider how these recommendations could apply for a hospital administrator seeking greater transparency among medical staff:
Express that differences of opinions will not jeopardize future referrals or relationships between doctors
Designate a patient safety ombudsperson to whom concerns can be confidentially voiced
Institutionalize debrief sessions after incidents where all staff perspectives are respectfully discussed and learned from
Recognize departments that demonstrate a culture of open feedback through improved patient outcomes
Prioritizing psychological safely and respect when handling delicate medical matters can enhance oversight, learning and quality of care - supporting why speaking up matters even in high-risk industries.
Conclusion
While speaking up brings risks, the costs of silence to organizations and their stakeholders are too high. With intentional effort, leaders can nurture cultures where diverse viewpoints feel not just safe, but actively encouraged. My research and experiences underscore that with patience and humility, even controversial perspectives can be constructively integrated to strengthen decision making, innovation and overall success when shared respectfully and heard openly. While challenging, taking these types of inclusive, learning-focused approaches to communication is well worth it for any enterprise seeking to achieve its full potential.
References
Burris, E. R. (2012). The risks and rewards of speaking up: Managerial responses to employee voice. Academy of Management Journal, 55(4), 851–875. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.0562
Detert, J. R., & Burris, E. R. (2007). Leadership behavior and employee voice: Is the door really open? Academy of Management Journal, 50(4), 869–884. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2007.26279183
Detert, J. R., & Treviño, L. K. (2010). Speaking up to higher-ups: How supervisors and skip-level leaders influence employee voice. Organization Science, 21(1), 249–270. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1090.0467
Dyne, L. V., Ang, S., & Botero, I. C. (2003). Conceptualizing employee silence and employee voice as multidimensional constructs. Journal of Management Studies, 40(6), 1359–1392. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00384
Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999
Garud, R., Tuertscher, P., & Van de Ven, A. H. (2013). Perspectives on innovation processes. Academy of Management Annals, 7(1), 775–819. https://doi.org/10.5465/19416520.2013.782654
Hirak, R., Peng, A. C., Carmeli, A., & Schaubroeck, J. M. (2012). Linking leader integrity to work engagement and job performance: The role of psychological safety. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(2), 278–290. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027465
Milliken, F. J., Morrison, E. W., & Hewlin, P. F. (2003). An exploratory study of employee silence: Issues that employees don't communicate upward and why. Journal of Management Studies, 40(6), 1453–1476. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00387
Morrison, E. W. (2014). Employee voice and silence. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1(1), 173–197. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091328
Morrison, E. W., & Milliken, F. J. (2000). Organizational silence: A barrier to change and development in a pluralistic world. Academy of Management Review, 25(4), 706–725. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2000.3707697
Okhuysen, G. A., & Eisenhardt, K. M. (2002). Integrating knowledge in groups: How formal interventions enable flexibility. Organization Science, 13(4), 370–386. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.13.4.370.2951
O'Reilly, C. A., III, Williams, K. Y., & Barsade, S. (1997). Group demography and innovation: Does diversity help? Research on Managing Groups and Teams, 1, 183–207.
O'Reilly, C. A., & Pfeffer, J. (2000). Hidden value: How great companies achieve extraordinary results with ordinary people. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Schein, E. H. (2013). Humble inquiry: The gentle art of asking instead of telling. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Schein, E. H., & Schein, P. (2018). Humble leadership: The power of relationships, openness, and trust. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Walumbwa, F. O., & Schaubroeck, J. (2009). Leader personality traits and employee voice behavior: Mediating roles of ethical leadership and work group psychological safety. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(5), 1275–1286. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015848
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Finding the Courage to Speak Up: How to Respectfully Share Important Perspectives at Work. Human Capital Leadership Review, 13(2). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.13.2.2
Comments