undefined | Better HN

0 pointsjosephg1y ago0 comments

Yep. I’ve heard this talked about as Voice and Exit. They’re two strategies you almost always have available: essentially, speak up or leave.

If all the people who care about a problem leave, it becomes harder for the organisation to solve the problem. This is one form of organisational rot.

Most of us are good at one and bad at the other. Eg, my instinctive response has been to quit my job when I’m not enjoying it. And that’s fine, but some of the situations were almost certainly salvageable. And I could have helped. Some people try to fix a workplace indefinitely, even to their own detriment, and even when the situation is probably impossible to fix and they should just get out of there.

I think it’s really important to learn both skills. And remind myself when I’m stressed that they’re both options.

0 comments

tmoertel1y ago

That model comes from Hirschman's treatise on Exit, Voice, and Loyalty. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exit,_Voice,_and_Loyalty

TeMPOraL1y ago

Feels a bit like a false dichotomy, in that there's at least one other option: wait it out. If you believe things will improve, the lapse is temporary, then doing nothing is a good move, and that's neither Voice nor Exit.

josephgOP1y ago

Totally right - it’s not a dichotomy. Those are just two strategies that happen to be broadly applicable. There are almost always other strategies available too, depending on the specific problem you’re facing. (Maybe you can fire the people involved. Maybe there’s a technical solution. Maybe you can ask for help. Etc etc.)

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse