The Importance Of Open Opinions And Upward Dissent In The Workplace

Freedom of speech is well understood to be a core part of any democratic society. But at work, it can often be a different story. Arguments arise between the need to listen versus our desire to be efficient. Or when managing teams we can feel as though our role is threatened by dissenting voices.

A wide and growing body of organisational research, however, shows this to be a false dichotomy. In this tutorial we’ll explore how free opinions and upward dissent in the workplace actually benefits productivity and strengthens the legitimacy of management roles.

Why free opinions matter
The immediate practical benefits of employees speaking up are easy to recognise: proposed solutions to the problems that workers experience day-to-day, ideas for improving efficiency or reducing waste, and the questioning of unethical behaviour before it causes larger problems.