One major problem facing organizations is that of silence. Whether it is in the face of mistakes or unethical behavior, some people choose to stay silent rather than speaking up and potentially facing repercussions. Staying silent can lead to a host of negative outcomes, both for the employees remaining silent (such as increased stress) and the organization (such as decreased innovation or commitment). As such, researchers have eagerly been searching for ways to encourage employees to speak up. New research (Zettna et al., 2024) finds one factor that may play a substantial role.
THE RESEARCH STUDY
Across five different studies, both experimental and multi-wave, the researchers surveyed thousands of employees in various organizations. In each study, they found that when leaders express humility, teams were more open to expressing mistakes and concerns. Leaders can express their humility by acknowledging their own limitations and mistakes, expressing appreciation for others’ strengths and contributions, and staying open to feedback and new ideas.
Ultimately, when teams were able to express their concerns, it led to increased performance for the teams and increased benefits for the organization, including up to a 3% increase in customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as team earning capacity. The researchers also showed that the more committed the team was to the organization, the stronger the above relationships were.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
When employees and teams remain silent about mistakes and concerns, the whole organization suffers. If organizations want to encourage employees to speak up, they should consider doing the following:
- Recognize the prevalence and seriousness of both individual and team level silence. If organizations only address silence at one level, it may not be effective at reducing the potential harm.
- Emphasize the importance of humility for leadership. Encourage leaders to be open with their mistakes and to welcome the unique strengths and ideas of their team members.
- Involve team members in critical decision processes. This may lead people to feel more committed to the organization and more receptive of the leader’s humility.
Zettna, N., Nguyen, H., Restubog, S. L. D., Schilpzand, P., & Johnson, A. (2024). How teams can overcome silence: The roles of humble leadership and team commitment. Personnel Psychology. Advance online publication.
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