The Bystander Effect

In 1964 Kitty Genovese was attacked in the middle of the street near her building in New York and again in her building. The attack was witnessed by many, though no one tried to stop the attack. She yelled for help. Yet no one called the police.

Such acts of apathy have been coined by social scientists as the “Bystander Effect.” When people see something they know is wrong yet they also see that no one is doing anything, then doing nothing becomes the norm.

When witnesses in the building were questioned by police after the incident about why they remained silent and did not take action, one man spoke for all the witnesses. According to a New York Times article at the time, he answered, “I didn’t want to be involved.” And neither did the others who witnessed this crime.

Okay, so someone on your team violates a team rule and you don’t know about the incident. However, team member’s know about it and they don’t tell you nor do they confront the teammate. The norm has quickly become doing nothing. The players are creating an apathetic culture of going along to get along.

Work to create a culture that invokes ownership, investment and trust.