daftandbarmy
Army.ca Fossil
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When the troops stop complaining, that's the time to start worrying 
Why Employees Stay Silent When They See Warning Signs of a Problem
Summary.
To address challenges posed by ambiguous threats, employees need to speak up at the earliation is cognitive overload. Employees juggle multiple responsibilities, and ambiguous threats require significant mental effort to assess. As a result, they may shift their focus to more manageable tasks.
Additionally, traditional workplace structures reinforce the assumption that decision-making is a leadership responsibility, while employees are expected to execute rather than question. Thus, by relying on leaders to make sense of the threat, employees offload the burden of grappling with ambiguity themselves.
This reliance is problematic because even the most capable leaders may overlook ambiguous threats or misjudge weaknesses in their team’s products and processes. Meanwhile, employees—who interact with these products and processes daily—may have critical insights that could help navigate uncertainty. The authors recommend targeted actions at three levels.
At the organizational level, companies should foster a mindset of proactively analyzing even the smallest errors. At the leadership level, managers should prepare employees for uncertain situations and provide them with the skills needed to recognize and respond to threats. Finally, employees themselves should be enabled to challenge leadership when necessary.
Why Employees Stay Silent When They See Warning Signs of a Problem
Why Employees Stay Silent When They See Warning Signs of a Problem
Summary.
To address challenges posed by ambiguous threats, employees need to speak up at the earliation is cognitive overload. Employees juggle multiple responsibilities, and ambiguous threats require significant mental effort to assess. As a result, they may shift their focus to more manageable tasks.
Additionally, traditional workplace structures reinforce the assumption that decision-making is a leadership responsibility, while employees are expected to execute rather than question. Thus, by relying on leaders to make sense of the threat, employees offload the burden of grappling with ambiguity themselves.
This reliance is problematic because even the most capable leaders may overlook ambiguous threats or misjudge weaknesses in their team’s products and processes. Meanwhile, employees—who interact with these products and processes daily—may have critical insights that could help navigate uncertainty. The authors recommend targeted actions at three levels.
At the organizational level, companies should foster a mindset of proactively analyzing even the smallest errors. At the leadership level, managers should prepare employees for uncertain situations and provide them with the skills needed to recognize and respond to threats. Finally, employees themselves should be enabled to challenge leadership when necessary.
Why Employees Stay Silent When They See Warning Signs of a Problem
