Hardly golden

Does this scene sound familiar?

In an effort to boost sagging morale, the company president hosts a Town Hall-style meeting to present a “State of the Company” address and to field questions from concerned employees. At the meeting, the president’s speech is laden with vacuous descriptions of current reality, followed by the painting of a picture of a future much brighter than the present. He or she then opens up the floor for questions from the assembled masses.

One of three things happens next:

Nobody asks anything.

A handful of folks toss the CEO some softball questions, which he or she easily belts out of the park.

Somebody actually asks a tough question, to which the CEO responds either evasively, angrily, or poorly – because he or she wasn’t expecting anyone to actually ask anything substantive.

The end result of choice number three? Everyone else with a tough question says to themselves, “Never mind. It’s not worth the risk.”

Think it only happens in “all hands on deck” meetings? Think again. Employees have plenty of opportunities to see that their questions, their concerns, and their input really aren’t all that welcome. From the casual conversation with the boss to team meetings, employees get shot down so frequently that they simply turn inward and stop becoming active, interested contributors.

In a May, 2003 article in Harvard Business Review, authors Leslie Perlow and Stephanie Williams call this phenomenon the “Spiral of Silence.” Employees don’t feel empowered to speak up because of what often happens when they do muster the courage to share a thought, challenge a plan, or pose a question. This leads to diminished morale, limited creativity, lowered output, and higher turnover.

What role can communications play in breaking the “Spiral of Silence?”

• Create multiple venues for employee feedback. Some people are more likely to step forward publicly, while others prefer anonymity. So make it easy for both types to have their thoughts heard. Have Town Hall meetings, solicit questions for “What’s on Your Mind?” stories for in-house newsletters, host update/feedback meetings with small groups of employees – whatever. Emphasize frequency and variety. One caveat: Stay away from an employee Web site chat room. It’s easier to avoid the embarrassment of having to dismantle this electronic water cooler, if you don’t create it in the first place.
• Seed questions, where appropriate. Employees need to see that those who ask tough questions leave with their heads still intact. If your company is not there yet, find some brave souls, give them each a tough question, and have them ask it at your next all-employee meeting. (Don’t forget to prompt company leadership about your strategy.) For printed pieces, publish the questions that you know are on everyone’s mind; you’ll soon have plenty of others coming from employees.
• Be direct, honest and consistent. You can’t guarantee that employees will like what the company has to say, but you can promise them a straight answer. While there are some topics that simply aren’t for public discussion, most of what’s on the minds of employees wouldn’t be stamped “confidential.” So, don’t take the Fifth unless it’s absolutely necessary.

The message? If you overwhelm employees with opportunities to offer feedback, ask questions, or pose problems, you’ll help create a team built on trust. And what long-winded CEO wouldn’t like that?