The Hidden Cost of Silence in Horticulture Businesses
Cornell Cooperative Extension Agricultural Workforce Development. | Cornell University
A recent eCornell Leadership Symposium tackled the problem of how silence can affect team culture. The symposium, called “The Hidden Cost of Silence in Teams: How Psychological Safety Impacts Team Performance,” considered that rather than defining psychological safety, it’s easier to explain what it looks like. A team has high psychological safety when they:
- Admit and talk about mistakes
- Address tough issues openly
- Aren’t afraid to ask for help and seek out feedback
- Trust that their teammates want the best for them
- Feel that they are a valued member of the team (American Psychological Association, 2023)
To improve in this area, one must first consider the root causes. Here are the top themes generated during the symposium as to why teammates don’t speak up:
Demographics:
Younger team members are more hesitant to share. This can vary between cultures, being more common in cultures that value hierarchy and collective thinking.
Culture:
Cultural norms in group settings vary widely. In some cultures, it is considered rude to speak before being called on, and eye contact can be considered rude. Health and Human Services has a great table showing some key differences in cultural communication that are useful to keep in mind if you work in a multicultural workplace.
Team Culture:
If a leader only calls meetings to reprimand employees or never asks anyone’s opinion, this doesn’t leave room in the agenda for discussion.
Power Dynamics:
A farm owner compared to the direct supervisor leading the meeting may lead to different comfort levels that factor into employees speaking up.
Clarity:
With no agenda sent ahead of time, employees can have trouble mentally preparing. Additionally, a leader explaining the goal of a meeting may lead to different responses and levels of output from others.
Historical Patterns:
If employees have spoken up and offered opinions in the past, only for them to be ignored and nothing changing, this can lead to them disengaging in the future, as they feel their thoughts aren’t valued.
Trust:
If trust isn’t built up between leaders and their team one-on-one outside of meetings through everyday interactions, it can be intimidating to speak up in a group.
For additional information on establishing a positive team culture where everyone can speak up, read the original article from Kaitlyn Lutz on the Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development website.
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