SafetyInsights.org

Amy Edmondson in the Fearless Organization talks about the asymmetry of voice and silence – see below.

People “err so far on the side of caution that they routinely hold back great ideas – not just bad news” (p34). Indeed, these voice-silence calculations can make real differences during critical moments, with silence tending to be instinctive and safe.

Silence “offers self-protection benefits, and these are both immediate and certain” (p34).

Speaking up, in contrast, may benefit others and come with delayed effects. Further, there’s less confidence that speaking up will have any benefit to the person raising feedback.

Amy argues that the phrase “no one was ever fired for silence” highlights the voice-silence asymmetry quite well, because the instinct to play it safe is powerful.

Of further note is that “People in organizations don’t spontaneously take interpersonal risks. We don’t want to stumble into a sacred cow. We can be completely confident that we’ll be safe if we are silent, and we lack confidence that our voices will really make a difference – a voice inhibiting combination” (p34).

These factors can be influenced by a range of beliefs (taken-for-granted-rules), making it harder for people to speak up with both bad news or good ideas. The image below highlights real examples taken from interviews.

As Amy notes, “This is where psychological safety comes in” (p35).

Source: Edmondson, A. (2019). The fearless organization. John Wiley & Sons.