Self-Censorship in Organizations

Abstract

This chapter discusses self-censorship in organizations, defined as a decision to withhold information and opinions from others in the absence of formal obstacles to express them. The information mostly is expected to be addressed to people who are in a position to initiate remedial actions. It is the phenomenon often named in the organizational context as “silence,” which is understood as an obstacle to the proper functioning of the organization and development of trust and loyalty. In contrast to most of the chapters of this book, this chapter does not consider narratives of political violence, but of self-censorship of other topics that are more relevant to the organizational context, such as organizational problems, unjust treatment, and transgressions or irregularities in the strategic. Silence in organization refers to the employee’s decision not to speak up even though the individual is convinced that something should be said. It is assumed that silence is one of the forms of self-censorship.