MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Five Ways Leaders Can Get People to Speak Up

Behind every failure is a team of people who were afraid to dissent and debate. But research shows that leaders can take specific actions to elicit constructive challenges.

Peek under the hood of any corporate scandal or organizational failure, and you will almost certainly find one person, if not more, who knew that something was awry but failed to raise their concerns to leaders who were in a position to do something about it. Take, for example, an independent report commissioned by Credit Suisse’s board to identify the reasons behind the staggering $5.5 billion loss the company incurred after the collapse of Archegos Capital Management. What the investigators found is that the failure stemmed in part from a “cultural unwillingness” to challenge the bank’s leaders, even as escalating risks became increasingly obvious.1 This storyline of failure isn’t unique. Across industries — including health care, car manufacturing, and aviation — the root cause of many crises can be traced back to environments in which employees felt unable, or unwilling, to voice their concerns.2

Despite the well-known and often disastrous consequences of silence, many leaders remain confused about how to effectively solicit challenges from their teams. Often, leaders are given vague advice to help employees “feel safe” to speak up. While this advice is well-meaning, it does little to help leaders understand what specific and concrete actions they can take to create such feelings. Platitudes about psychological safety do not equip leaders with the practical tools necessary and proven to solicit valuable challenges from teams.

About the Author

Celia Moore is a professor of organizational behavior in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship and academic director of the Centre for Responsible Leadership at Imperial College Business School. Kate Coombs is an applied behavioral scientist and managing director of the Centre for Responsible Leadership.

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