FireFly Facilitation

Not long ago, bobble-head dolls were the rage. Sports teams handed them out as giveaways at ballgames. People affixed them to the dashboards of their cars or placed them in their rear windows. Even TV characters adorned their desks with bobble-head dolls (see Dwight on The Office).

I’m not sure what purpose bobble-head dolls ever served other than to nod dumbly up and down. However, I do know leaders ought to be alarmed when bobble-headed behavior infects the workplace. If your people unthinkingly nod assent to your decisions then something has gone drastically wrong. Bobble-heads in the boardroom indicate the decay of constructive conflict, and they’re symptomatic of a disease that may threaten the life of your team—artificial harmony.

Who’s at fault for bobble-headed behavior in the workplace?

For leaders, it’s easier to blame the bobble-heads than to accept personal responsibility. “Why don’t they speak up when they disagree instead of complaining about my decisions later? I can’t read their minds! How come they never seem to think for themselves?” It may seem best to decree “Off with their bobble-heads!” and to replace your team with more confident, more vocal team members. Sorry to say it, but doing so would fail to address the root of the problem—you.

Three ways leaders contribute to bobble-headed behavior.

1) They’re impatient

By nature, leaders anticipate the future before others do and act sooner than those around them. While generally an advantage, this foresight can make leaders impatient. Eager to get started, they rush into decisions unilaterally rather than consulting the team. This need for speed causes them to view questions or concerns from their team as annoying delays rather than valued input.

Not wanting to be seen as a nuisance, team members will soon stay quiet rather than offering their perspectives. Afraid to slow down their leader, they will simply check out of the conversation. When the leader finally does ask for their support, they’ll go along out of convenience rather than “bogging down” the discussion with their opinions.

2) They withhold information

Leaders shut their team out of the decision-making process by withholding information from them. This may happen unintentionally, in that leaders forget to share what they know on a regular basis. Oftentimes, however, leaders simply enjoy the control that comes from having more knowledge than everyone else.

Since they’re uninformed, team members feel like important decisions are beyond their grasp. Fearful of being chided for not seeing “the big picture,” they give tacit approval to whichever course the leader chooses.

3) They turn a deaf ear to feedback

Hearing-impaired leaders demotivate teammates from participating in decision-making. When people feel like their ideas and suggestions are continually being ignored, then eventually they’ll stop offering them. Since being unheard makes them feel small, people will withdraw into silence rather than expressing themselves. When asked to commit to decisions, they’ll reluctantly nod approval, even when they disagree, since they doubt their viewpoints will have a listening ear.