How to Lead in the New Era of Employee Activism | Megan Reitz | TED

New Section

The importance of employees speaking up in the workplace and the consequences it can have on various aspects like ethical conduct, innovation, inclusion, and talent retention.

Importance of Speaking Up

• Employees are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work and be the difference they want to see.

• Speaking up in workplaces impacts ethical conduct, innovation, inclusion, and talent retention.

• Leaders are now asking voices of difference to speak up about social and environmental concerns.

The Era of Employee Activism

The shift towards employee activism in organizations and its implications for leaders.

Employee Activism Insights

• Employees are raising issues like race, gender equity, climate change, and modern slavery.

• Organizations face challenges when employees speak up leading to potential negative outcomes like reputational damage or conflicts with investors.

• Research focuses on enabling voices of difference to make a positive impact in the workplace through activism.

Understanding Activism

Exploring perceptions around activism and its varying connotations globally.

Perception of Activism

• "Activist" and "activism" carry diverse meanings from progress and courage to protest and rebellion based on individual perspectives.

• Being labeled an activist can have different implications depending on regions and issues; it ranges from positive recognition to life-threatening situations.

Leaders' Role in Navigating Activism

Key considerations for leaders in understanding activism within their organizations.

Leadership Strategies

• Leaders need awareness that perceptions of activism vary among individuals; what seems rebellious may represent basic human rights for others.

Employee Activism and Leadership Responses

The speaker discusses the importance of leaders making conscious choices about which issues to address and engage with, particularly in response to activist movements. Employee perceptions of leadership responses to social and environmental issues are highlighted.

Prioritizing Issues

• Leaders should make conscious, coherent, authentic choices on which issues to take a stand.

• Collaboration with stakeholders, including employees, is crucial in decision-making processes.

Leadership Responses

• Understanding how employees perceive leadership responses to activist issues is essential.

• Different leadership responses include nonexistence, suppression, facadism, defensive engagement, dialogic engagement, and stimulating activism.

Engagement Strategies

• Some leaders choose suppression or ignore wider social and environmental concerns.

• Defensive engagement involves complying with legal requirements without genuine commitment.

Effective Dialogue for Employee Activism

The speaker emphasizes the significance of dialogic engagement as a transformative approach for leaders to address employee activism effectively.

Dialogic Engagement

• Leaders engaging in dialogic approaches prioritize listening and learning from employees' perspectives.

• Sharing information transparently with employees can lead to improved decision-making processes and foster a culture of openness.

Key Learnings for Leaders

Key insights are drawn from the discussion on leadership responses to employee activism, emphasizing the importance of understanding employee perceptions and embracing dialogue despite its challenges.

Employee Perception

• Leaders need to be aware of how employees perceive their responses to social issues.

Embracing Dialogue