Every organization has both a formal and an informal culture. The formal culture tends to be more structured. It is reflected in the organization’s leadership, defined roles, policies, procedures, goals, and formal decision-making processes. The informal culture tends to be more unstructured. It develops naturally through member relationships, interactions, and conversations. Both cultures have advantages and disadvantages, but when formal and informal cultures work in harmony, the organization can better achieve its purpose and realize its full potential. When they become disconnected or work against each other, however, the result can be misunderstanding, frustration, declining trust, and resistance to decisions or change.
When people have concerns about a decision, those concerns don’t disappear simply because they aren’t expressed to leadership. People talk over coffee, in hallways, after meetings, and privately among themselves. Sometimes those conversations extend outside the organization, to friends, family, the wider community, and even to people in other organizations with which their own may compete.
People remain silent for many reasons. Some are naturally quiet or shy and may be uncomfortable expressing an opinion publicly. Others don’t want to rock the boat or risk being regarded as negative, difficult, or troublesome. The absence of criticism does not necessarily mean the absence of concern. It may simply mean that people no longer believe expressing their concerns will make any difference.
Leadership plays an important role in determining whether that happens. Some leaders genuinely encourage different points of view. Others may be uncomfortable with criticism or conflict and unintentionally discourage dissent. Still others may have a particular agenda or preferred outcome and have little interest in hearing views that challenge it.
Over time, people learn whether speaking up is welcomed, merely tolerated, or discouraged. And that can create a serious misunderstanding: Silence can be mistaken for agreement.
Good leadership also means knowing when to consult and when to decide. In an emergency or a situation requiring immediate action, consultation may be impractical or inappropriate. But when time permits and a decision significantly affects members, seeking their input can provide valuable information without taking away leadership’s responsibility to make the final decision.
Consultation does not mean that every decision must be put to a vote, nor does listening mean that leaders must agree with every opinion expressed. Sometimes a dissenting voice identifies a consequence, concern, or possibility that was not previously considered.
Members have responsibilities too. When a genuine opportunity exists to raise concerns, it is more constructive to express them openly and respectfully than merely complain about them privately.
A healthy culture is not one in which everyone agrees. It is one in which people can disagree without fear of being regarded as disloyal, difficult, or troublesome.
This is an important part of what I call the Collective Genie, the combined knowledge, experience, judgment, creativity, and potential within an organization. We cannot fully benefit from that collective wisdom if some of its most important voices have learned to remain silent.
One characteristic of a healthy organizational culture is that people are encouraged to speak up, not only when they agree, but especially when they have concerns or see things differently.
Perhaps leaders should occasionally ask a question that is seldom asked:
“What aren’t we hearing, and why aren’t we hearing it?”
The answer may tell us as much about an organization’s culture as the voices we do hear.