Summary of How to Lead in the New Era of Employee Activism | Megan Reitz | TED

00:00:00 - 00:15:00

Megan Reitz discusses the changing landscape of employee activism and how leaders should be aware of the different perceptions of what activism is. She provides four key findings from her research on how to lead in an era of employee activism, including the importance of listening to employees and promoting activism from within the organization.

• 00:00:00 Megan Reitz discusses the definition of "activism" and the different perceptions that it has depending on who is doing the activism. She provides examples of how the actions of an activist can be perceived differently by different people, and how leaders should be aware of this before reacting negatively to employees speaking up. Finally, Reitz provides four key findings from her research on how to lead in an era of employee activism.
• 00:05:00 This video discusses how leaders can become more aware of their assumptions and judgments when it comes to employee activism, and how inaction is as political as action. It also discusses how leaders can use research to understand what their employees think their response has been to activist issues so far.
• 00:10:00 Megan Reitz discusses the changing landscape of employee activism, highlighting the increased prevalence of environmentalism, social justice, and other causes. She presents a model of leadership that takes into account the employees' expectations and acknowledges the difficulty of dialoguing on complex topics. She recommends strategies for managing employee activism, including experimenting and promoting activism from within the organization.
• 00:15:00 This talk discusses the need for leadership to be activism in order to enable voices of difference to make a difference in the workplace. The talk points out that if leaders can't or won't accept these voices, it is a signal of danger and may spell disaster for the organization.