Is Silence Killing Your Company

							      Is Silence Killing Your Company?
• Silence starts when we choose not to confront a
  difference
  –   Easier to cover up differences than to discuss them
  –   Pressure for unanimity
  –   Pressure from differences in rank
  –   Silence as a strategy to get ahead
• Costs of silence
  – Silence does not resolve differences, just pushes
    them under the surface
  – Don’t speak up for fear of destroying relationships,
    but in the end silence creates an emotional distance
    that can create an unbridgeable rift.
                Breaking the silence
• Leader: be careful not to punish people for speaking
  out, particularly on issues that may be difficult for the
  organization to deal with
   – Create a context where the expression of difference is valued
   – Avoid blame and focus on the larger shared problem: see the
     example of Harry the commander
• Recognize your own power to express yourself and
  encourage others to speak freely
   – Present new information in a way the other person can absorb
• Act Deviantly
   – Purposeful deviance is a creative act
• Build a coalition