To speak is silver, to remain silent is golden, is a well-known saying. But when it comes to managing a company, that is not always the case, research by PhD student Marilieke Engbers shows.

She is conducting research at the Vrije Universiteit into what is unsaid in the boardroom. The things that we would rather not say out loud, for example because we do not want to hurt or discredit the other person. Her most important conclusion: what is unsaid reduces the quality of the decision-making process, because not all information is shared.  

Whispering at the coffee machine

The gossip after an important informal decision, the whispers at the coffee machine. We almost find it normal,' says Engbers. Not only does it cause a major energy drain in a company, it also affects the decision-making process - because it creates implicit 'coalitions' in a company.

For this reason, it is also useful, as an entrepreneur, to always explicitly ask for feedback from your employees. This prevents people from complaining among themselves. That can be quite confronting,' says Bas Beek. He himself heard that he was unreachable for many people in his company. Valuable information that you can use.

Make it explicit

In her work, Engbers has regularly seen how far teams in a company can go to avoid confrontation. Sometimes I see teams coming up with solutions for problems that are not being expressed, without them realising it. That takes time and energy. You go from bad to worse.

There is only one solution and that is to name it explicitly. Problems that are not explicitly named will always catch up with you,' says Engbers.

The tips from this podcast:

1. Be aware of the unsaid in conversations - in yourself and in the other;

2. Ask for feedback explicitly and be open to criticism;

3. Make informal decision-making as explicit as possible.