Life in Organizations LO9354

Dale Emery (72704.1550@CompuServe.COM)
22 Aug 96 15:49:18 EDT

Replying to LO9310 --

Ben,

You wrote, "I feel intimidation when I want to point out the ineffectiveness of
an initiative, or the potential damage of a policy, but feel constrained because
it would cost me my job (this also causes a certain degree of anger)."

I just picked up a book about that subject:

Driving Fear Out of the Workplace
Kathleen D. Ryan and Daniel K. Oestrich
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1991
ISBN: 1-55542-509-7

I haven't read all of it yet, but the parts I've read are terrific. I read lots
of books about creating healthy organizations, and this one seems more important
than any other book I can think of.

Many people in organizations told the authors they feared the repercussions of
speaking up about "undiscussable" issues. The authors asked them, "What are you
afraid will happen?" The responses were:

27% Loss of credibility or reputation
16% Lack of career or financial advancement
13% Possible damage to relationship with boss
11% Loss of employment
9% Interpersonal rejection
6% Change in job role
5% Embarassment/loss of self-esteem
4% Job transfer or demotion
9% Other

Ben, you also mentioned hopelessness. In addition to fearing repercussions,
another reason people gave the authors for not speaking up was, "nothing will
change." This reminds me of the hopelessness I felt in some of the cases when I
didn't speak up.

"Driving Fear Out of the Workplace" is written for managers who want to create
an environment where their employees are less fearful of speaking up. Its
wonderful descriptions of the dynamics of fear, though, look helpful for anyone
working in organizations.

I got a mailing from Jossey-Bass this week, and these authors have a new book
coming out any day now. It seems to be focused on the other side of the coin:
helping people who have been fearful of speaking up.

Courageous Messenger: How to Successfully Speak Up at Work
Kathleen D. Ryan, Daniel K. Oestreich, and George A. Orr III
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1996
ISBN: 0-7879-0268-3

The mailing gives the publication date as August, 1996.

Dale

--

Dale H. Emery | 27 Tall Pine Road Consultant | Berwick, ME 03901 Relationship and Communication | (207) 698-1650 For Successful Organizations | 72704.1550@compuserve.com

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