I believe it is important not to be confused when experts are describing the problem and making it sound like it is the solution.Eg: “Creating a culture of trust and respect can foster psychological safety." [This platitude was generated by ChatGPT] Sounds great on paper but it’s just smoke and mirrors to me, with zero... Continue Reading →
Psychological Conflict or Safety
Most conflict is psychological. A snide remark, sarcastic quip, an insulting name, gossiping or stonewalling. Much less rarely does such conflict escalate to become physical. But imagine if we were protected from such psychological conflict or agreed to use a simple neutral procedure to resolve this conflict behavior when it invariably happens to us? I... Continue Reading →
Conflict Resolution or Secret Men’s Business
Generally speaking, conflict resolution is carried out by management and or HR behind closed doors. It is not a democratic process. Let's call it secret men's business. Is it any wonder that there are countless unresolved complaints from disgruntled employees in organizations? The democratic process was first developed over 2500 years ago in Ancient Athens,... Continue Reading →
Psychological Safety an Impossible Construct
Sorry, but I have to speak up and say that the #psychologicalsafety that professor Edmondson is describing seems to me to be an impossible social construct. E.g., “Psychological safety, which is the ability to speak up without the risk of punishment or humiliation.” In my view, there is and will always be this risk of... Continue Reading →
Further Steps in Transparency
Another point for exposing our unresolved conflict is that it acts as a great incentive to ensure we all use our new and radical toolkit available to resolve our spats before they become our exposed conflicts.
Resolve the Disagreement Now or Solve the Problem Later
The best way to solve a problem or mistake is to resolve the disagreement that is likely to create it.Tweet
Play the Ball Not Play the Man
There are not too many examples of idioms that work as well as this one, I reckon, but as an ex-soccer player, I would say that. However, there is a bit more to this idea that meets the eye. The best soccer players play the ball (PB) because they can. Those who are not so skillful will... Continue Reading →
Psychological Safety Vs Psychological Protections
It seems that everyone is talking about Psychological Safety nowadays. Still, no one seems to be talking so much about the basic protections needed to create such an environment. "Safety" seems to be more the state of mind we are aspiring for, and "protections" appear to be actual steps taken to achieve safety. The protections to create... Continue Reading →
Shield of Protection
Most authors on organizational behavior, such as Amy Edmondson, Timothy Clark, and Kim Scott, seem only to offer psychological insights on how team members should behave towards each other rather than specifying how to actually protect members from misbehaving and toxic managers. Imagine if every organization was obliged to provide a standard "shield of protection"... Continue Reading →
Disagreement Vs Dispute
Disagreements, to me, are essential, and we should have far more of them, but a disputes can quickly erupt from a disagreement because one or more will start to "play the man, not the ball." It is when we get personal that disputes arise, I believe.Listen carefully to any disagreement, and you will find that... Continue Reading →
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