This document discusses power abuse and conformity in organizations. It notes that organizations often have gossiping, acquiescing to authority without question, and sycophantic behaviors due to fears of abuse, being fired unfairly, or facing difficult conversations. The document suggests that psychological safety in the workplace should be mandatory like occupational health and safety. It proposes using simple tools like yellow and red cards to call out offensive behaviors, and allowing peers to resolve disputes if issues remain unresolved, in order to stop power abuse and help people feel comfortable speaking up.

1. GOSSIPPING
CONFORMITY
OBSEQUIOUS
…why?
Why do organizations look like this?
ACQUIESENCE
ASSENTING to authority
CONFORMITY
Politically Correct
Failing to ask “dumb questions”
Compromising
SYCOPHANTS
Walking on Eggshells

2. Power Abuse
FEARof
• FEAR of being ABUSED
• FEAR of being ABUSIVE
• FEAR the difficult conversation (because of ABUSE)
• FEAR of getting fired or excluded unfairly (ABUSED)
“shut the f#*k up!”

3. Abuse of power is OFFENSIVE behavior
Browbeating
They use… DOGMA
Blaming Rhetorical Questions
“REALLY?”
Volume
Tone
Intimidation
Manipulation
Steamrolling
MISLEADING
Sulking
Humiliating
GASLIGHTINGIgnoring
(silent treatment)
SARCASMCoercion
ThreateningDEADLINES

4. We allow power abuse by…
We use…
SNOWFLAKE
Going with the flow

6. One day Psychological Health
& Safety will also be Mandatory
in the workplace!
Occupational Health & Safety
mandatory in the workplace.

7. Adding safety is exhausting…
or…reading…. workshops…

8. or use simple tools to stop abuse…
“want to teach…
don’t bother…
give them a tool…
which leads to new
ways of thinking”
Buckminster Fuller

9. Separate disagreements into 2 parts
content
…object to
Disagree with
behavior
and…

10. When one feels offended simply…
the offender
Or escalate to
like a ref’s Whistle……

11. or escalate to
like a ref’s Whistle……Yellow Card
the offender
When one feels offended simply…

12. like a ref’s Whistle……Yellow Card……Red Card
the offender
When one feels offended simply…

13. …our peers decide if still unresolved

14. What people are saying…
“
”
Very interesting point, Desmond.
Democratize organizational power as we do
political power, so (we) can vote people out
Timothy R. Clark
Author of The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety

15. …the sky might not be the limit
…no more walking on eggshells
When we stop power abuse