It just can’t be true. If it were true, the implications would be devastating and the issue deeply rooted. According to Margaret Heffernan, author of ‘Willful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril,’ 85 percent of employees in America have issues or concerns about their place of employment, and say nothing.
Nothing.
In the United States, the main reason for this is fear of retribution. In England, the main reason is futility. I can relate to both and have worked in environments where both phenomena have been present. Think about the implications in your organization if that is true and 85 percent of the people on your immediate team had significant concerns but were afraid to bring them up, either because of what you might do, or what you might not do.
This was sobering to me. My first reaction was denial. “Not me! Not my team!” We are tight. I have put a lot of effort into building an engaging culture where people should feel free to come up to me with issues. Then I thought some more and started to remember that people have come in and said something, and because I was so distracted, I looked at them and smiled, and 10 minutes after they left my office, I had no idea what they had said. Responses like that lead me to believe there is definitely room for improvement.
I started doing some research about this to find out why this blindness exists and how to create an environment where it can be reduced. It is not really a new issue, but research is both making us more aware and providing some solutions. Different industries are trying to aggressively address this issue. In healthcare, most hospitals have instituted what is called a “time out” right before a surgery is initiated. I don’t know how many incorrect legs have been amputated or wrong organs removed, but one time is enough. Surgical staffers were afraid to challenge the surgeon and speak up to tell them they were doing something wrong. This still exists in healthcare to some extent, but has changed dramatically in the last couple of decades. Administrators in hospitals have worked hard to empower and embolden staff to prevent this from happening.
Communication is the first step in combating the blindness issue. We have implemented what we call huddle meetings at many levels. In my department they are held bi-weekly, and mostly led by me. At the organizational level they are held twice a week, and usually led by the COO. Key employees in the organization are present and issues of safety, supplies, and productivity are discussed in an open forum.
At first people were a bit timid, but the effectiveness of the meetings is growing. Over time we are seeing boldness increase in our team members. The huddle meetings are part of our High Reliability Organization (HRO) program. The goal is for our customers to have the same great experience from a service and quality perspective every time they interact with our organization. This takes intentionality and a definite decrease in willful blindness.
The book discusses other reasons for blindness:
- First — remember, there are some “bad (evil) people”
- Tunnel Vision — people literally do not see what they do not want to see
- Conformity (the “in group”)
- Hierarchy/organizational structure/division of labor (Too much “distance”)
- Embarrassment
- Exhaustion
- Money as motivation
- Outsourcing
- It’s simply too hard to see; it takes too much energy to consider other viewpoints
As leaders seeing that 85 percent statistic, we have to take some responsibility and not respond with blindness of our own, because we do have it. What is important to others may not be important to us. But can we really afford to think that way? Shouldn’t what is important to members of our team also be important to us? This week, I am going to try to reflect on this blindness issue — in me, and in the team I am fortunate to lead. Below is a list of concepts from the book to consider as you look to create an environment that opens communication and reduces blindness:
- You can’t multitask, so don’t try to.
- Acknowledge that you have blind spots. Because you do. (And so do I.)
- Do not reject “regulations” so quickly.
- We like easy and convenient — being willfully blind is easier, more convenient, and less exhausting. Thus, we don’t put in the effort required to combat our own blindness.
- Love people, use things.
- Ask intentional “stasis” questions — where should we “stop to think?”
- Make folks “change sides” in discussions (take the “devil’s advocate” position).
And lastly, welcome and embrace the seekers of the blind spots.
[This piece was originally published on Culture Infusion, a blog created by Chris Walden and Bill Rieger. Follow their blog on Twitter at @C_infusion.]
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