Speaking up about problems: what research establishes
How can a frontline manager encourage employees to report difficulties before they become costly? For the “Management de proximité” programme at SHR — Swiss Human Resources, this question deserves more than a general recommendation to be approachable.
What the literature establishes
Amy Edmondson (1999, Administrative Science Quarterly) identifies an association between team psychological safety and learning behaviours, including discussing mistakes and seeking feedback. Psychological safety refers to a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. It therefore measures neither constant comfort nor an absence of demanding standards.
Managerial openness beyond the invitation
James R. Detert and Ethan R. Burris (2007, Academy of Management Journal) show that perceived managerial openness is associated with employees voicing suggestions intended to improve organisational functioning. Their analyses support a mediating role for psychological safety in this relationship. The proposed mechanism is specific: speaking up also depends on an assessment of personal risks, not simply on an idea's usefulness.
The premature conclusion
One might conclude that an approachable manager necessarily receives more useful reports of problems. Yet these studies neither guarantee this effect in every team nor justify equating every instance of speaking up with an actual improvement. An expressed disagreement still needs to be examined, and a proposal can legitimately be rejected with an explanation. (our executive and employee training programmes)
What the evidence and current practice leave unresolved
These field studies are not randomised trials of a management method; they support relationships without fully isolating every possible influence. They also address distinct phenomena: collective learning is not exactly the same as proposing change. Finally, counting reported problems remains ambiguous: an increase may reflect deteriorating working conditions or less reluctance to speak.
A practical check in Lausanne
In Lausanne, a medtech team, a higher education unit, an international sports organisation or a scale-up in the Lake Geneva region could test an explicit response rule for reported difficulties as part of the “Management de proximité” programme. For four weeks, record each non-sensitive work-related report, its date and the first response specifying an action, a request for information or a reasoned refusal. Then calculate the proportion receiving that response within five working days, using a deadline chosen before the test, without replacing regulatory reporting channels or recording sensitive personal data. This indicator checks consistency of follow-up, not psychological safety itself; unspoken difficulties remain outside the register. To go further: explore the Frontline Management training in Lausanne, or browse our executive and employee training programmes in Switzerland.
In pictures: Frontline Management in Lausanne
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