Debunking four myths about employee silence.

Six questions were piggybacked onto the annual Cornell National Social Survey to explore how and when employees hold back, and surprisingly the most common reason for withholding input is a sense of futility rather than fear of retribution.

Abstract

In the latest phase of our decade’s worth of research on organizational silence, we piggybacked six questions onto the annual Cornell National Social Survey to explore how and when employees hold back. As you’d expect, they clam up when they’re afraid that speaking could get them into trouble. But surprisingly, the most common reason for withholding input is a sense of futility rather than fear of retribution.