Ben,
You wrote, "I've spoken privately with each manager in the break out
group, and expressed my feelings to them. I inquired into the reasoning
behind their reaction. These meetings have been very helpful. One thing
that I got from them was some of the managers are afraid of rocking the
boat, despite the fact that Novell is a transformation company. They're
afraid they'll only make things worse, and thus lose their job. When I
rocked the boat a little bit, a few of the managers literally went into a
state of panic."
This kind of fear is something I've become very interested in lately.
I've found two books that I like very much, though so far I have only
skimmed them:
Driving Fear Out of the Workplace
Kathleen D. Ryan and Daniel K. Oestreich
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1991
The 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: 0-7879-02680-3
The first is for managers who wish to create a better environment so that
people in their employ are not afraid to say what's on their minds. The
second is for people who have been afraid of rocking the boat, and for
people who already speak up and need more skill in the way they present
and discuss their messages.
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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