TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING?
If a little dissent is a good thing, what’s
too much? To some degree, that’s for
each organization to determine, based
on what suits the corporate culture, says
Papa.
“Companies typically issue levels of authority
matrices, and these can be used
to specify just how far down the matrix a
leader should go to gather ideas and opinions,”
he said.
Inviting an organization of 5,000 employees
to all offer input on a new product,
for example, and then sifting through all
of their responses, isn’t likely to be cost or
time-effective.
“Setting up a structure with limits and
expectations would avoid an organization
losing valuable time through a ‘consensus
management approach,’” he said.
On a more micro level, someone who
voices contrary opinions in a particularly
aggressive way is likely to cause discord
within a group. The remedy might involve
a conversation with a manager or coach
who acknowledges the employee’s passion,
but then points out how it’s perceived by
others.
“You might say, ‘I’m noticing you’re really
passionate about this thing, but how
it appears to me is that you’re very firm
and not willing to look deeper,’” said Flatt.
“Then ask the employee what’s going on.”
Where a manager sees someone antagonistic
and combative, an employee may
see himself as passionate and committed.
“They may have no way of knowing their
behaviour is causing other people to shut
down. If you don’t address it, you end up
with a pattern of misunderstanding.”
GIVE THE STATUS QUO A NUDGE
As Heffernan points out in her TedTalk,
most major catastrophes aren’t caused by
secret information. Instead, the signs are
in open information that people are unwilling
to discuss. The same could be said
about innovations. New ideas are there,
just waiting for someone to raise questions,
nudge the status quo and shake
things up a little. What employees need is
the freedom to be that positive disruption.
By creating a culture that encourages
people to speak their minds and to challenge
respectfully, an organization allows
everyone to contribute at their highest
level – an essential ingredient for a
genuinely inclusive, collaborative and innovative
workplace. n
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HRPATODAY.CA ❚ FEBRUARY 2016 ❚ 39