As the speed of change continues to increase, one essential factor that makes organizations more prepared for change is a culture of being vocal. Organizations that incorporate strong opinions with robust debates at all levels can adapt to change faster and more effectively than those that promote a “culture of niceness.”
“Nice” cultures prioritize politeness and camaraderie in the belief that “getting along” will propel progress. However, nice cultures have an unintended downside: Individuals are hesitant to express alternative viewpoints. When leaders and managers keep changes secretive, often with the intention of protecting their teams from disruption, they inadvertently increase stress—because while people are aware that changes are imminent, they are not engaged in finding solutions. This is a prevalent issue. According to Gallup research, only 7% of workers in the U.S. strongly agree that their company’s communication is open, accurate, and timely.
A change-ready, vocal culture is not harsh or unkind but creates an environment for dialogue. It expects all members of the organization to voice opinions, present alternatives, and participate in discussions. When members do so, remarkable things can occur. However, alternatives and debates are only effective if individuals are willing to adjust their perspectives based on new information. This can be especially challenging for leaders accustomed to a culture of niceness. Yet, when leaders witness the benefits of empowering their teams to be vocal, they never look back.
Getting loud in the most thoughtful way possible
Allowing individuals to recognize and address the changes around them enhances their inherent resilience. It also shifts the perspective on change from being a threat to being a continuous source of opportunity.
Today, change has evolved. Regardless of geopolitical, competitive, or economic changes, some organizations will always rise to the occasion. Businesses that encourage “loudness” position themselves to keep up—and often lead the way. A McKinsey study noted that “Employees of successful innovators are also three times more likely to say that their organizations make it easy to critique ideas openly.”
One of the major advantages of involving everyone in the conversation about change is the holistic evaluation of change. These discussions take into account everyone’s experiences rather than a top-down approach that may overlook crucial perspectives from those closest to the customer. This enables more informed, intentional decisions. It is important to emphasize that this does not mean everyone gets to decide on the change, but it ensures that everyone feels heard.
How to be loud: The downsides of politeness
Our company collaborated with a healthcare entity that was deeply entrenched in a culture of niceness. The pattern was always the same: Leaders kept adding priorities on top of priorities in response to changes. No one spoke up because they feared criticizing others’ ideas and jeopardizing their teamwork reputation. Honest conversations only took place behind closed doors. The team continued to take on more priorities, ostensibly in the interest of patient and employee success.
What were the repercussions of all this politeness? Initiatives were launched but went nowhere. They simply faded away. There was no follow-up. If there had been more of a culture of being vocal, they would have been able to halt the accumulation of responsibilities and start being honest about what was feasible, hence better able to prioritize what was most necessary for patients and employees.
This does not mean that you should open the floodgates and let everyone voice their opinions. Rules and frameworks to guide decision-making, accountability, and input are crucial when transitioning from a politely quiet organization to a robustly vocal one. In our experience, there are four methods that typically enhance readiness for change.
4 ways to get your team ready for change
1. Get your ears into the action
There is a common misconception that being vocal means constantly expressing opinions. This is only partially accurate. It is equally important to listen with curiosity to others’ ideas as it is to advocate for your own.
One way to foster a culture of listening is to discuss someone else’s thoughts before sharing your own. (“Well, what I appreciated about Susan’s idea was…”) Subsequently, you can present your ideas. Or even better, repeat back what you heard in your own words, giving them a chance to correct any misinterpretations. (“Are you suggesting…?”)
While this may seem like a small adjustment, it compels you to slow down and process what others are sharing in real-time. Leaders in change-ready organizations excel at active listening. Active listening establishes a safe environment where questioning and debating feel acceptable without causing discomfort or overwhelm.
Furthermore, 40% of participants in a 2021 Workforce Institute survey did not believe that their feedback resulted in actionable change within their organizations. Ensuring that individuals feel heard and understood alleviates these sentiments. Not every opinion will lead to action, but active listening ensures that everyone is part of the dialogue.
2. Stay ahead of postmortems with premortems
You are familiar with a postmortem, but what about a premortem? This involves considering all the potential reasons why an idea might fail before it even begins. It also brings everyone into the dialogue in a different manner.
During the premortem, project yourself six to 18 months ahead in the future. Define what success would entail—and what would be different if the initiative were successful. Then pose the question, “Why might this end in catastrophic failure? What could go wrong? What obstacles might arise?”
These inquiries tap into people’s instincts to identify threats and provide a platform to express dissent without risk. Everyone can lay their cards and concerns on the table before any commitments are made. It also offers senior leaders insights into which areas of the organization may resist change the most.
Often, the premortem serves as a starting point for innovative risk mitigation strategies. By exploring potential failure from the outset, team members take ownership of mitigating or reducing risks. It is a straightforward tool that facilitates honest discussions and shared responsibility for solutions.
3. Believe in authorship as ownership
When individuals are part of a change, they are more likely to support it. They see their influence on it. The premortem advances this progression by encouraging dissent and embracing resistance, leading to personal “imprints” on each solution.
The next step to authorship of change is granting each level of the organization an appropriate stake in how that change unfolds. Change-ready organizations adhere to the vision but remain flexible in its execution. They entrust the teams closest to the work with deciding how to implement the change and hold those teams responsible for the vision’s success.
Be cautious not to allow authorship of the vision to impede decision-making. One company we advised used to hold meeting after meeting seeking input. Ideas kept pouring in. Everyone was an author—but no one could initiate a campaign because they were fixated on authorship.
Once they redirected authorship and accountability towards how the vision would materialize, teams were engaged and empowered in their respective tasks, propelling momentum and progress that fostered team pride.
4. Be loud about mistakes (and learnings)
In times of change, all organizations will make mistakes. This is especially true for organizations that delegate execution downward. As a change leader, your role is to be comfortable with vulnerability.
Pleasant cultures often avoid discussing mistakes to prevent demoralizing individuals. However, effective change leaders openly address the mistakes they have made, link those mistakes to the lessons learned, and establish a precedent for their teams to do the same.
We collaborated with a consumer goods company whose leaders empowered junior employees to take charge of their ideas. Yet, to instill accountability, failures were swiftly addressed. Upon closer inspection, junior employees were so fearful of failure that they were paralyzed by any shifts in the strategy. They did not voice concerns or risks to execution. When senior leaders began openly discussing their own mistakes, they created an environment for team members to share theirs. Consequently, mistakes transformed into lessons, conversations became frank, and execution became more agile.
Make your business change-ready
You cannot expect people to step outside their comfort zones and embrace change if you are unwilling to accept failure. Reflect on the missteps you and your organization have encountered. Then openly discuss them so they become valuable lessons. The McKinsey research mentioned earlier revealed that “employees of top innovators are 11 times more likely than those at other organizations to say that their organizations incentivize risk-taking and five times more likely to report encouragement of experimentation.”
Change is an ever-present force in our world, and it is approaching us at an accelerating pace. At this juncture, you have two choices: prioritize niceness or engage in active listening, invite others to share risks, delegate ownership downward, and be a little loud. The latter approach is much more effective in bringing your team along on the journey of change.
