Breaking the Silence at Work: (A) Taboo Topics

Kanina Blanchard, Alison Konrad, Karen Macmillan

Product #:W25584

Supplier:Ivey

Discipline:Communications, Organizational Behaviour/Leadership

Setting:Canada; United States, 2021

Details:Case (PDF) • 12 pages • 2021-08-23

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North America Canada United States

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Like the society of which it is a part, the work world has not been immune to the plight of intolerance. Recognizing that while systemic changes are necessary, this case offers a powerful way to combat bias by empowering employees to speak up in order to share their concerns, discomfort, and frustrations with intolerance and bias in real time, as they see it happening. An organization is more than the sum of its policies, procedures, and other initiatives. A company is made up of many thousands of personal interactions, and much of the intolerance that marginalized employees experience occur within these moments. Learning to break the silence in these moments is key.

Learning Objectives

The two-part structure of the “Breaking the Silence at Work” cases allows instructors teaching both undergraduate- and graduate-level classes a certain amount of flexibility in terms of structuring the class discussion. The default structure is that Case (A) can be used as the basis for either a synchronous or an asynchronous class in which participants work alone or, more preferably, in small groups. A debriefing can be held during a synchronous session. The optional Case (B) can be assigned as a pre- or post-class exercise.

The cases can be used effectively in courses or modules concerning leadership, diversity, equity, inclusion, organizational behaviour, communication, or ethics. After working through the cases and assignment questions, participants will be able to

recognize and explore the challenges faced by both individuals and groups that experience intolerance and discrimination;
experience reduced levels of discomfort when engaging in conversations related to intolerance and discrimination;
analyze a conversation in order to pinpoint triggers and cues concerning emotional distress;
develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of varying perspectives; and
reflect on past interactions to increase readiness for future conversations.