“Breaking the Silence: Analyzing the Propensity to Speak up in Field Experiments”

• In Event: Challenges in qualitative research I

Abstract

Silence persists in organizations, even in extreme cases like sexual abuse or unethical practices. Traditional methods like training, hotlines, and moral appeals have limited impact as they are often ignored or forgotten. Our interactive bridge-building workshops simulate an organizational environment where participants need to build a 1.5m bridge with papers, glue and scissors between two desks. At the end, it needs to pass a resistance test. During the simulation the participants are exposed to illegal building materials, explicitly forbidden to use. Our observations from 20 simulations with 18 employees each, showed us that the rules are often forgotten or ignored. Under stress, the propensity to cheat was high and we acquired detailed understanding of the organizational barriers inhibiting employees' willingness to voice their concerns. We observed to whom the employees report the misconducts and what measures help raising the propensity to report. We applied an evidence-based approach by comparing control groups, that had only a whistleblowing box at their disposal to report, with two treatment groups: 1. A tone from the top Top regarding the importance of compliance and 2. An anonymous 360° feedback. These simulations were very successful and in group discussions we further explored the many similarities with real-life situations. Our findings indicated that the implementation of 360° feedback effectively increased the inclination to report misconducts, while the 'Tone from the Top' significantly impacted merely adherence to rules and regulations. Thus, our labs-in-the field have been proven to be a successful tool to measure the propensity to report misconducts in organizations, and had the additional benefit of improving the awareness concerning organizational wrongdoings. In scientific terms, we could not only provide evidence to the question what impact different compliance measures have in organizational settings, but could also identify the mechanisms behind organizational bystanding more precisely.

Authors

• Monika Elza Bancsina, Max-Weber-Institute for Sociology, University of Heidelberg

• Markus Pohlmann, Max-Weber-Institute for Sociology, University of Heidelberg