MIT Sloan Management Review Article on How to Engage Skeptics in Culture Interventions

Many executive team members struggle to engage in the problem-solving and strategic decision-making needed in a complex environment. One reason for this is a lack of the psychological safety that makes it possible to offer new information or dissenting views, which directly affects decision quality. An obvious solution is to work on building psychological safety in the team; however, we have found that some executives are skeptical about what they see as “soft” concepts or interventions. Even when most of a group is on board, reluctant individuals — especially those in positions of power — can substantially inhibit psychological safety and, in turn, performance. Fortunately, introducing perspective taking as a skill offers an alternative way to engage skeptics and has been shown to drive performance in diverse teams.

Perspective describes how an individual perceives their reality or a specific issue. Our perspective on any matter develops through the accumulated experiences of life — such as education, upbringing, and social context — and past experiences dealing with similar topics. In the workplace, our unique role, affiliation, and hierarchical position shape our perception of a topic, opportunity, or challenge. Teams of people with different backgrounds, diverse experiences, and multiple competencies will have a wider variety of perspectives than more homogeneous groups.

About the Author

Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School. Her most recent book is The Fearless Organization (Wiley, 2019). Per Hugander is a strategic adviser on leadership, strategy, innovation, and organizational culture. He is an adjunct professor of practice and research fellow at Hult International Business School and an agenda contributor to the World Economic Forum.

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