Challenging the status quo

…the right way to challenge the status quo and influence better decisions.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you felt that something wasn’t right, but you hesitated to challenge the status quo? Maybe you were afraid of rocking the boat, or you didn’t want to upset the group dynamic. Whatever the reason, it’s natural to feel apprehensive about questioning established norms and systems, but it’s also necessary to drive progress and make better decisions.

Unfortunately, history is littered with examples of societies and organizations that failed to challenge the status quo, leading to catastrophic outcomes. Fascist leaders rose to power, unethical companies became dominant players, and entire groups of people suffered as a result.

In an organizational context, defending the status quo of loosely held ideas instead of listening to contrasting opinions and re-evaluating hypotheses can sometimes manifest as failing projects or missing targets, even if the team is filled with talented individuals.

However, let’s face it — when we work in groups, it is not always easy to challenge the status quo. We usually follow the status quote because of our need for stability, consistency, emotional attachments, and inability to disassociate with biases.

Why is it hard to challenge the status quo?

Here are a few reasons…

We don’t trust our instincts

We don’t trust our instincts because of fear or self-doubt. When we experience dissonance, many of us are wired to look inwards instead of questioning the outside world. We fear — what if I look stupid, or what if I don’t know enough to say something, or what if I am the real problem? These fears are solidified when people around you don’t like to be challenged.

We think others know better

Sometimes we feel dissonance and confusion but don’t challenge it because we feel that others are smarter than us. We tend to give others the benefit of the doubt to learn something that we might have missed, even though it temporarily feels helpless or confusing.

We fear being punished/disregarded

In cultures where compliance and adherence are rewarded, people feel scared to speak up, let alone challenge others. We think: What if I speak up and no one takes it seriously, or what if I am punished for speaking up? This further discourages us from asking questions or exploring other possibilities.

We might be insincere and we don’t know it

One of the reasons people may not challenge the status quo is because they don’t care enough or don’t see themselves as directly affected by the issue. Additionally, there may be those who have something to gain from the status quo and therefore resist any changes that could threaten their position. This could be especially prevalent during uncertain times, when influential people may have insight into the risks but still choose to maintain the status quo.

How can we overcome fear and challenge the status quo?

Before I get to ideas about how to be courageous and challenge the status quo, here is a snippet from Apple’s iconic think-different campaign

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

Apple’s campaign is grand and visionary. But you might wonder: How can I start small? How can I start speaking up courageously and constructively to bring change in everyday events? Here are a few things that I try to follow

Acknowledge the bias

Recognizing the existence of status quo bias is the first step in overcoming it. Acknowledge that there is a tendency to stick to the familiar and be open to questioning why things are the way they are.

Seek out different perspectives by asking questions

Engage with people who have different viewpoints and experiences from your own. This can help challenge your assumptions and broaden your thinking. Ask questions to listen and not respond.

Trust your instincts

Instincts are signaling us towards something. Our instincts can be strong guiding forces to understanding our values. Whenever our instinct tells us something, understand what’s causing it and before acting on it, try to disassociate it from the ego which is always floating around to act out. Once you establish your core value in perspective to the instinct, that is a good time to act.

Challenge ideas constructively

First, bounce off your ideas with a trustworthy counterpart and get their perspective. Don’t let emotions or ego take over. Put across your thoughts logically and constructively. Share the challenges with specific examples and listen actively.

Embrace the shades of grey

In the pair of collective clever experiments run by some scientists, people had to generate logical arguments on a range of issues and submit them, and then evaluate everyone’s arguments one by one. But the participants did not know that their own arguments will be added to the pool for their evaluation. When they thought that argument was made by someone else, 57% of people rejected it. We hold our own thoughts dearly and do not analyze them as critically as others’ thoughts. We hold our own opinions to lower standards than other people’s.

Sometimes we feel strongly about things especially when we are passionate about them but so is the other person. Most situations are a complex spectrum and oversimplifying it into two categories — right and wrong, may not be the right thing. Sometimes it is okay to float between two realities for a while.

Do your bit and leave the rest

If you are an influencer to the decision-maker, do your bit and leave the rest. The workforce ecosystem encourages agency and ownership and expects us to act like the owner of the problem. But sometimes the best thing to do is to share what you feel with the right people, perhaps remind them persistently and then leave it, don’t sweat. Avoid passive aggression or emotions. Trust the teams to make the right decisions and be patient. Ultimately your life goals are rarely coupled with the ideas/teams/groups that cause dissonance, so you’re free to choose your next steps if the dissonance continues.

I’m trying this new thing out of writing blogs that would help the future me. It might also help other people going through similar situations. Anyone who has started working recently and wants to hear stories that help navigate work situations might benefit from my blog. I would love to hear feedback, opinions, and relatable stories from you!