Ioanna Nixon, Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at University of Glasgow, shared on LinkedIn:
“Some of the most concerning teams aren’t the ones that argue. They’re the ones that have gone quiet…
People still attend. The work gets done. Everyone appears professional. But challenge happens after the meeting rather than in it.
- Someone notices a problem and says nothing.
- Someone disagrees but decides it isn’t worth it.
- Someone has an idea but waits to see what the senior person thinks first.
Silence can look like agreement. It isn’t always.
My new blog explores When Teams Stop Speaking Up…psychological safety, leadership, and the behaviours that determine whether people feel able to say:
- ‘I disagree’.
- ‘I need help’.
- ‘I think we may be getting this wrong’.
What have people in your team learned is safer not to say? The answer may tell you more about your culture than almost anything else.