Red Flags: II

In Part I of this small survey of "red flags" that indicate future trouble for projects or collaborations, I described the effects of toxic conflict and the loss of capable leaders and team members. Although these are warning signs, they tend not to be the very earliest warning signs. Indeed, when they occur, it's fair to say that trouble has already arrived.

Fortunately, there are several other behavioral phenomena that do tend to provide more advanced warning of trouble ahead. Among these behaviors are those that relate to interpersonal communication. Below are four examples.

Fear of speaking truth to power

When we speak (or think) of "the elephant in the room," we're referring to the idea that there's something many of us know about but dare not mention. Although many causes can create these elephants, one of the most difficult to address is the need to critique a position or belief that a powerful person holds. The common phrase that describes such actions is "speaking truth to power."

When people with the power to address a problem are unaware of the problem, for whatever reason, the problem is likely to remain in place. With time, its negative consequences can increase in severity, and the cost of addressing it can grow. People with the power to address problems need to be made aware of the problems, even if they're reluctant to learn of them.

One member of a team afraid to speak truth to power is a problem and a red flag. An entire team afraid to do so is much worse. And when the team lead is among the fearful, catastrophe is almost certain to arrive eventually.

Fear of speaking truth

Widespread fear Although there are many different
kinds of elephants-in-the-room, one
of the most difficult to address is
the need to critique a position that
a politically powerful person holdsof speaking truth to power is a red flag. But an even more significant red flag is fear of speaking truth at all. This fear is more damaging because it prevents truth from surfacing within the team even when people with power aren't participants in the conversation. It is therefore more effective in its ability to limit the spread of unpleasant truths.

But there is an even more dangerous possible interpretation of the observation that people are reluctant to speak truth. It's possible that team members fear that one among them is acting on behalf of someone with power, gathering intelligence about who is saying what to whom. It's possible that team members fear the consequences of expressing to each other opinions that differ from what the person with power wants them to believe.

A team in which some members fear that other members are acting as "spies" for powerful people is a team that cannot solve problems that require acknowledging facts that differ from what the people in power want to believe. It is a team that cannot grapple with reality.

High incidence of plausible miscommunication

On occasion, someone — whom I'll refer to as Edgar — someone with responsibility for addressing an issue is found to have failed to address it effectively, or failed to address it in a timely fashion. An appropriate response to these failures would be an investigation to determine what actually happened and what process changes might reduce the probability of recurrences. But too often, Edgar takes preemptive action. He provides a tale of plausible miscommunication that he hopes will obviate the need for investigation.

A tale of plausible miscommunication is a narrative that explains Edgar's failure to act in a timely, effective fashion. It provides a believable story of how knowledge of the problem failed to reach Edgar. Edgar can then hardly be held responsible for the failure because he didn't know about the problem. And the tale neutralizes any desire for investigation because it suggests a root cause that's unlikely to be repeated or is beyond the control of anyone or any process inside the enterprise. Example: "The hurricane damage cut us off from the Internet." Another example: "Ella's sudden hospitalization for COVID prevented her from alerting Edgar about the system crash."

Tales of plausible miscommunication can of course be truthful. But when they occur with any regularity, they could indicate that some are using the technique to provide safety for themselves without harming innocent parties.

Power-serving spin

In politics and public relations, to spin a narrative is to present an intentionally misleading story by weaving together a series of facts and half-truths to suggest an interpretation that favors a particular position vis-à-vis some incident or situation. Within organizations, power-serving spin is spin that strengthens the position of those with political power.

Power-serving spin carries risk for the enterprise because it can limit the chances of success for people seeking the truth of a situation. For example, those investigating the causes of miscommunication might fail to find causes if they let themselves be guided by tales that are biased by power-serving spin.

Organizational leaders who seek accurate information about what's happening in their organizations would do well to learn how to de-spin the information that does come their way. Even better: they can adjust organizational culture in ways that encourage delivery of information free of spin.

In the final part of this series on red flags, I'll examine the abuse of political power in organizations.   First issue in this series    Next issue in this series   Top    Next Issue

Is every other day a tense, anxious, angry misery as you watch people around you, who couldn't even think their way through a game of Jacks, win at workplace politics and steal the credit and glory for just about everyone's best work including yours? Read 303 Secrets of Workplace Politics, filled with tips and techniques for succeeding in workplace politics. More info

Your comments are welcome

About Point Lookout

Thank you for reading this article. I hope you enjoyed it and found it useful, and that you'll consider recommending it to a friend.

This article in its entirety was written by a human being. No machine intelligence was involved in any way.

Point Lookout is a free weekly email newsletter. Browse the archive of past issues. Subscribe for free.

Support Point Lookout by joining the Friends of Point Lookout, as an individual or as an organization.

Do you face a complex interpersonal situation? Send it in, anonymously if you like, and I'll give you my two cents.

Related articles

More articles on Personal, Team, and Organizational Effectiveness:

Become a Tugboat Captain

If your job responsibilities sometimes require that you tell powerful people that they must do something differently, you could find yourself in danger from time to time. You can learn a lot from tugboat captains.

Encourage Truth Telling

Getting to the truth can be a difficult task for managers. People sometimes withhold, spin, or slant reports, especially when the implications are uncomfortable or threatening. A culture that supports truth telling can be an organization's most valuable asset.

Towards More Gracious Disagreement

We spend a sizable chunk of time correcting each other. Some believe that we win points by being right, or lose points by being wrong, but nobody seems to know who keeps the official score. Here are some thoughts to help you kick the habit.

Workplace Memes

Some patterns of workplace society reduce organizational effectiveness in ways that often escape our notice. Here are four examples.

Issues-Only Team Meetings

Time spent in regular meetings is productive to the extent that it moves the team closer to its objectives. Because uncovering and clarifying issues is more productive than distributing information or listening to status reports, issues-only team meetings focus energy where it will help most.

See also Personal, Team, and Organizational Effectiveness for more related articles.

Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout

Coming July 16: Responding to Unwelcome Events

Unwelcome events have two kinds of effects on decision-makers. One set of effects appears as we respond to events that have actually occurred. Another set manifests itself as we prepare for unwelcome events that haven't yet occurred, but which might occur. Making a wrong decision in either case can be costly. Available here and by RSS on July 16.

And on July 23: Microdelegation

Microdelegation is a style of delegation in which the delegator unintentionally communicates the task to the subordinate in such detail and so repetitively that the subordinate is offended. As a result of this delegation style, many subordinates feel distrusted or suspected of fraud or goldbricking. Available here and by RSS on July 23.

Coaching services

I offer email and telephone coaching at both corporate and individual rates. Contact Rick for details at rbrenaXXxGCwVgbgLZDuRner@ChacDjdMAATPdDNJnrSwoCanyon.com or (650) 787-6475, or toll-free in the continental US at (866) 378-5470.

Get the ebook!

Past issues of Point Lookout are available in six ebooks:

• Get 2001-2 in Geese Don't Land on Twigs (PDF, )
• Get 2003-4 in Why Dogs Wag (PDF, )
• Get 2005-6 in Loopy Things We Do (PDF, )
• Get 2007-8 in Things We Believe That Maybe Aren't So True (PDF, )
• Get 2009-10 in The Questions Not Asked (PDF, )
• Get all of the first twelve years (2001-2012) in The Collected Issues of Point Lookout (PDF, )

Are you a writer, editor or publisher on deadline? Are you looking for an article that will get people talking and get compliments flying your way? You can have 500-1000 words in your inbox in one hour. License any article from this Web site. More info