Episode #42 - Dr. Elizabeth Morrison Talks about How to Encourage Employees to Speak Up

Permission to Speak Podcast. Hosted by Leadership Communications Expert Kelly Vandever. Episode #42 - Dr. Elizabeth Morrison. Permission to Speak is the video blog and podcast that loiters at the intersections of leaders who want their people to speak up, technology that facilitates connections, and results that serve an organization’s higher purpose. Topics covered in this episode include: - Employee Voice is defined as when employees share an idea, concern, suggestion, or opinion about a workplace issue. - Employee Silence is when employees have idea, concern, suggestion, or opinion and consciously withhold them. - We weigh the benefit of something changing for the better, versus will speaking up even make a difference, versus will I get accolades for speaking up or will I look stupid or will I be seen as a complainer, how will it effect my relationship with my colleagues and with my supervisor- People have strong beliefs about bad things that can happen to them if they speak up- As humans we’ve evolved to be aware of hierarchy and wired to be social beings and not to create friction in our social groups- Leaders are often oblivious to the fact that employees don’t speak up- Leaders don’t recognize that the role itself can be intimidating- People’s default is to not voice- Dr. Morrison’s research found that people with low power will speak up if a leader conveyed a leadership style of openness - Leaders need to not just say they’re open, they have to live it too, even during difficult circumstances- We can’t stereotype that people from certain countries are less likely to have voice- One study found that extraverted leaders tend to be more defensive than introverted leaders- Leaders who routinely encourage and ask for input are more likely to get employees that come to them unsolicited- Listening without judging, without reacting- Telling stories is a useful way to humanize a leader, to show humility, to promote authenticity, all of which have been shown to make it easier for people to speak up- Leaders who use “we” versus “I” can help to minimize the perception of status differences- There is no quick fix if you have a work environment that’s created a climate of silence- You don’t just change a culture by saying it, you have to build it into all your practices, day in and day out- Make it OK for someone to say, “I’m going to say something controversial. Withhold judgement.”- One organization used something called fist to 5. To get a read on how the room was feeling, someone would say “fist to 5” then the individuals would hold up their fist for not at all supportive, to 5 fingers to indicate they were fully on board. - If you’re considering speaking up, Dr. Morrison gives 3 fold advice- 1) consider the timing, there are times that are better than other for raising an issue, it’s better to raise issues early on, time of day to raise the issue, in the hallway or set aside a time, look for time when the leader is most likely to be open and have the time and space to process what you’re saying- 2) framing, how you frame the situation can make a big difference in how it’s received, why you’re raising the issue and how the information can be used. Make it clear what your motive is.- 3) tone, the way you say it, understanding the communication norms in the environment, being respective and polite even if you’re trying to say “you’re wrong”- While there could be an organization that has too much voice, more so the issue is too much silence- Millennials are just as likely to be silent as other generations- Recent research of Dr. Morrison’s indicates that speaking up is more likely to have the person seen more positively rather than more negatively- Voice is good for the organization but it’s also good for the employee’s wellbeing- Estimates are that only 50% of employees who witness wrongdoing bring it to someone’s attention- Not speaking up can have serious conseque