Speaking Up in a Culture of Silence: Changing the Organization Activity from Bullying and Incivility to One of Listening and Productivity

203 Pages·2022·3.7 MB·English

by  David Naylor

Speaking Up in a
Culture of Silence
We know we should speak up and question what is being
taken as normal in our work cultures – to notice and call
out bad behaviour and resist being silenced. This book is
a guide to what it takes to do this in a way that doesn’t
expose you to the countermeasures of people who do not
like being questioned. What is explored through case studies
and personal experience are ideas about how to resist being
silenced at work where there are competing demands on your
time and energy and where people have learnt to tolerate bad
and uncivil behaviours just to get the work done. There are no
magic solutions or calls for decisive action. Just some modest
ideas about what can help you hold onto your voice and your
thinking so that when the time is right, you can say something
that just may help keep us all a bit safer.

Speaking Up in a
Culture of Silence
Changing the Organization
Activity from Bullying
and Incivility to One of
Listening and Productivity
Dr. David Naylor
Cover and text illustrations by Jo Compton
First published 2023
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group,
an informa business
© 2023 David Naylor
The right of David Naylor to be identifed as author of this
work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections
77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted
or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be
trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for
identifcation and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this title has been requested
ISBN: 978-1-032-29846-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-29845-0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-30232-2 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003302322
Typeset in ITC Garamond
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Contents
Preface..................................................................................... ix
About the author .................................................................. xv
1 Introduction �����������������������������������������������������������������1
Working in the gap ............................................................. 6
Structure of the book.......................................................... 8
The chapters .......................................................................10
Notes...................................................................................15
2 The tyranny of the bed state meeting ���������������������� 17
Background ........................................................................18
Meeting one—everyday tyranny.......................................18
Another version—sharing the anxiety ..............................19
Summary ............................................................................24
Notes...................................................................................25
3 They would have died anyway���������������������������������� 29
A request refused...............................................................30
Does it have to be like this?..............................................31
If I can’t say this, what can I say? .....................................32
Facts and gaps....................................................................33
Summary ............................................................................41
Notes...................................................................................42
v
vi ◾ Speaking Up in a Culture of Silence
4 Not in my name ��������������������������������������������������������� 45
Introduction....................................................................... 46
Story—not in my name .................................................... 46
Same moment heard differently ........................................49
Leadership of ignorance ....................................................54
Closing comments ..............................................................56
Notes...................................................................................57
5 The origins of my talk and silence ���������������������������59
Introduction........................................................................60
Conclusion..........................................................................69
Notes...................................................................................70
6 A guide to speaking up ����������������������������������������������73
Introduction........................................................................74
Section 1—What to think about before you speak ..........75
Section 2—In the moment ................................................89
Compassion, not empathy .................................................95
Think about the job ...........................................................97
Conclusion......................................................................... 99
Notes.................................................................................. 99
7 Can we talk about our conversational culture? ����� 105
Introduction......................................................................106
Making the case—Part 1 .................................................108
Making the case—Part 2 .................................................112
Making the case—Part 3 .................................................118
Conclusion........................................................................124
Notes.................................................................................124
8 Walking off the map ������������������������������������������������127
Introduction......................................................................128
Section 1—What to avoid ................................................129
Section 2—A step-by-step guide.....................................135
Closing comments ............................................................148
Notes.................................................................................149
Contents ◾ vii
9 Staying hopeful ���������������������������������������������������������151
Introduction...................................................................... 152
The way of the ordinary.................................................. 155
So, what is possible? ........................................................172
Notes................................................................................. 174
Index .....................................................................................179

Preface
This book emerged out of failure. I was trying to help a team
explore why bullying and incivility had become embedded in
their work culture, why their people survey indicated a trend
that some people found this work culture diffcult – long work
hours, some shouting and swearing; intrusion into home life
with late-night texts requiring action – but also a culture that
pushed people to their best work and a sense of achievement,
which propelled their careers forward.
ix