Rewarding dissent
In a workplace, what's being rewarded and how it's rewarded tell you a lot about the culture.
Our cultures often reward compliance, being agreeable, and conflict avoidance. It's sometimes not conscious because it's what our society has taught us is good and acceptable. Compliance allows us to expect streamlined, predictable workflow. Being agreeable and avoiding conflict create the perception of harmony in teamwork.
It seems to have worked well for us, so we reward it - again and again. Sometimes this is in overt ways like positive affirmation, praise, or promotions. Other times it is more stealthy like not getting in trouble, gaining social currency, or retaining our comfort by staying in the status quo.
It's worth considering if we're saying "yes" to these behaviors, what are we saying "no" to?
What do we punish? Things like going outside the lines, being disagreeable, dissenting opinions, and speaking up about conflicts and problems. When we punish these behaviors, we are creating psychologically unsafe workplaces.
Orchestras are hierarchical structures, and they naturally fall into these traps of rewarding compliance and agreeableness, thus diminishing psychological safety.
Think of your own organization. How safe do you feel to voice dissent, disagree with a decision, or speak up about a challenge? If you have any reservations at all, consider what are you afraid of? Where is there fear of punishment?
Becoming aware of this is the key to moving forward in our industry. We can start to see what we are rewarding and decide whether that is actually helping us improve. We also notice where we are afraid of punishment and decide whether those behaviors warrant such responses.
What if we rewarded dissent instead? How do we do that?
Here are 3 steps leaders can take to start:
Acknowledge it is OK when someone disagrees with you. Affirm they have the right to have an opinion, even if you disagree.
Show gratitude when they disagree with you. Say: I'm glad you brought it up. Thank you for challenging me. I appreciate your perspective.
Show you are willing to change your mind. If what they say is helpful, accept their ideas with grace.
We can all be mindful of what we are saying about our culture and values by way of what we reward.
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