Originally from Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation

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Bystanders—and their organizations—often take effective action in the face of unacceptable behavior. Both, however, face significant barriers much of the time.

Why does this matter—why are bystanders important? How do they think and why do so many hesitate? How can we make bystander training measurably effective? What factors inhibit organizations from supporting bystanders—and how can complaint systems and their managers do better?

Every barrier discussed here invites attention from senior leaders. At a minimum, three ideas are a place to begin:
• offering regular bystander training that includes detailed, credible information about how the organization takes action about unacceptable behavior;
• training supervisors to be “receptive” to bystanders, and
• offering a “zero barrier” office to all constituents who wish to talk about concerns (and good ideas) off the record.