Organizational silence: A barrier to change and development in a pluralistic world

We argue that there are powerful forces in many organizations that cause wi despread withholding of information about potential problems or issues by e mployees. We refer to this collective-level phenomenon as "organizational s ilence." In our model we identify contextual variables that create conditio ns conducive to silence and explore the collective sensemaking dynamics tha t can create the shared perception that speaking up is unwise. We also disc uss some of the negative consequences of systemic silence, especially for o rganizations' ability to change and develop in the context of pluralism.