Insights

Things Worth Knowing

Ideas, research, books and observations that help us see work more clearly.
Featured book
Amy C. Edmondson

The Fearless Organization

Wiley · November 2018
Why people stay quiet at work, and what changes when speaking up, asking questions and admitting mistakes feel safe.
#Statistic
54%
of U.S. employees do not strongly agree that they know what is expected of them at work. Only 46% do.
Source: Gallup (opens in a new tab) · as of August 2026 · Last checked 20 October 2026
this changes how you see it
Featured Research

How strategic silence enables employee voice to be valued and rewarded

Parke, Tangirala, Sanaria & Ekkirala · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, vol. 173 · 2022

Subscription may be requiredPeer-reviewed
What the source says

The peer-reviewed study behind the HBR article: holding back untimely ideas or concerns, and raising them when they fit, made managers value employees' voice more.

Open the paper (DOI) (opens in a new tab)See it in the library ↓
Five insights, with evidence and further reading

The patterns underneath everyday work.

Situation pages help with a moment. Insights examine the pattern underneath it, and connect that pattern to research, data, or further reading.
Working principle: Muhaya should not ask the reader to accept an observation just because it sounds true.
01

The Hidden Curriculum of Work

The job may be documented. The judgments around the job often are not.
People enter organizations with formal role descriptions, systems, policies, and procedures. Yet effectiveness also depends on learning expectations, relationships, unwritten norms, and how work actually moves. That hidden layer is especially visible when someone is new.
54%
In Gallup's U.S. data, 54% of employees do not strongly agree that they know what is expected of them at work; only 46% do (as of August 2026). Gallup's employee-experience guidance says effective onboarding goes beyond orientation: it helps new employees build connections, understand how work gets done and gain confidence.
Source: Gallup (opens in a new tab) · as of August 2026 · Last checked 20 October 2026
DataIndicator: Employee EngagementGallupOpen the data (opens in a new tab)BookThe Unspoken RulesGorick Ng · Harvard Business Review Press · 27 April 2021To buyPublisher's page (opens in a new tab)GuideEmployee Experience: Strategies for ImprovementGallupGallup's practice guidance for organizationsOpen the guide (opens in a new tab)
02

Knowing Your Job Is Not the Same as Knowing How to Work

Technical capability answers “Can I do the task?” Workplace effectiveness also asks whether I can think, communicate, coordinate, and exercise judgment around it.
A person can understand the technical content of a role and still struggle with expectations, trade-offs, communication, stakeholder alignment, or ownership. Those are not “soft extras”; employers consistently treat many of them as core work capabilities.
96.1% → 53.5%
In NACE's Job Outlook 2025, a U.S. survey of 237 employers, 96.1% rated communication highly important, but only 53.5% rated recent graduates highly proficient in it. Critical thinking showed the same pattern: 96.1% important vs. 55.9% proficient. ("Highly" means a rating of 4 or 5 on a five-point scale.)
Source: NACE (opens in a new tab) · surveyed Aug–Sep 2024
ReportThe Gap in Perceptions of New Grads' Competency Proficiency and Resources to Shrink ItKevin Gray · NACE · 13 January 2025Data from NACE's Job Outlook 2025 employer survey and 2024 Student SurveyOpen the report (opens in a new tab)ReportThe Future of Jobs Report 2025World Economic Forum · 7 January 2025Open the report (opens in a new tab)
03

Asking for Clarity Is Not the Same as Waiting for Instructions

Clarify what materially changes the work. Infer what can responsibly be inferred.
There are two weak extremes: starting blindly when critical information is missing, and treating every ambiguity as a reason to stop. Good judgment sits between them. It requires enough context to protect the outcome, plus enough ownership to keep moving.
Clarity + ownership
Knowing what is expected of you is the first item in Gallup's employee engagement measure. Gorick Ng's HBR advice on asking for help is to do the legwork you can first, and to share that work when you ask.
ArticleHow to Ask for Help at WorkGorick Ng · Harvard Business Review · 29 April 2021Subscription may be requiredRead the article (opens in a new tab)
04

Timing Is Part of Judgment

A good response at the wrong time can still be a poor decision.
Workplace judgment is not only what to say or what to do. It includes when to raise an issue, when to wait for the right forum, when delay increases risk, and when a decision is becoming difficult to reverse.
When matters
Research by Parke, Tangirala and colleagues, summarized in HBR, found that employees' input is more likely to be heard when it is relevant to the unit's agenda, well researched, and raised when the manager is able to give it attention.
ArticleWhen Speaking Up, Timing Is EverythingMichael Parke & Subra Tangirala · Harvard Business Review · 26 October 2022Summarizes the authors' peer-reviewed researchSubscription may be requiredRead the article (opens in a new tab)ResearchHow strategic silence enables employee voice to be valued and rewardedParke, Tangirala, Sanaria & Ekkirala · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, vol. 173 · 2022Subscription may be requiredOpen the paper (DOI) (opens in a new tab)
05

Escalation Is Not Failure

Escalation is strongest when it makes a blocked dependency, risk, or decision visible to the person who can actually resolve it.
Escalation is weak when it is used to avoid a difficult conversation or simply transfer frustration. It becomes useful when reasonable attempts have been made, the consequence of delay is clear, and the issue needs authority or coordination that the current level does not have.
Resolve early
Writing in PMI's PM Network (2011), Neal Whitten describes escalation, handled properly, as a healthy part of any business: it can resolve problems earlier, reduce rework, help prioritize work and encourage ownership.
ArticleTake it to the topNeal Whitten · PM Network 25(1) · January 2011A contributing editor's column, not a PMI positionRead the article (opens in a new tab)
The library

Sources worth your time.

Every source links to the original, with its date and whether it is free to read. Titles stay in their original language. Where a source carries a Muhaya's View, that note is our own reading of why it matters, kept apart from what the source itself says.

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Showing 17 of 17

The Fearless OrganizationAmy C. EdmondsonCover of The Fearless Organization
Book

The Fearless Organization

Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth

Amy C. Edmondson · Wiley · November 2018

To buy
Publisher's page (opens in a new tab)
What the source says

Why people stay quiet at work, and what changes when speaking up, asking questions and admitting mistakes feel safe.

Pairs with: I’m in a meeting and I’m not sure whether to speak up.

Cover: Open Library

Crucial ConversationsJoseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler & Emily GregoryCover of Crucial Conversations
Book

Crucial Conversations

Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High

Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler & Emily Gregory · McGraw Hill · Third edition · 2021

To buy
Official book page (opens in a new tab)
What the source says

How to talk when the stakes are high, opinions differ and emotions run strong, without going silent or getting defensive.

Pairs with: I disagree with my manager’s direction.

Cover: Open Library

The First 90 Days, Updated and ExpandedMichael D. WatkinsCover of The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded
Book

The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded

Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter

Michael D. Watkins · Harvard Business Review Press · 14 May 2013

To buy
Publisher's page (opens in a new tab)
What the source says

A practical guide to role transitions: what to learn first, who to learn it from, and how to get up to speed in a new job.

Pairs with: I’m new and I don’t know what I’m supposed to know yet.

Cover: Open Library

The Culture MapErin MeyerCover of The Culture Map
Book

The Culture Map

Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business

Erin Meyer · PublicAffairs · First edition · 2014

To buy
Publisher's page (opens in a new tab)
What the source says

How cultures differ in communicating, giving feedback, deciding and disagreeing, and why it matters when you work with people from elsewhere.

Pairs with: I received feedback I disagree with.

Cover: Open Library

Article

Managing Your Boss

John J. Gabarro & John P. Kotter · Harvard Business Review (first published 1980; reprinted January 2005) · January 2005

Subscription may be required
Read the article (opens in a new tab)
What the source says

The classic case that your relationship with your manager is one of mutual dependence, and yours to manage too.

Pairs with: My manager gave me an unclear task.

Article

Take it to the top

Neal Whitten · PM Network 25(1) · January 2011

A contributing editor's column, not a PMI position

Read the article (opens in a new tab)
What the source says

A practitioner's guidelines for escalating well: try to resolve it first, escalate the problem rather than the person, and don't wait too long.

Pairs with: Another department isn’t responding.

Research

Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams

Amy Edmondson · Administrative Science Quarterly 44(2): 350–383 · June 1999

Subscription may be requiredPeer-reviewed
Open the paper (DOI) (opens in a new tab)
What the source says

The study that introduced team psychological safety: in 51 work teams, a shared sense that it is safe to take interpersonal risks went with more learning behavior, and through it, better performance.

Pairs with: I made a mistake.

Research

How strategic silence enables employee voice to be valued and rewarded

Parke, Tangirala, Sanaria & Ekkirala · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, vol. 173 · 2022

Subscription may be requiredPeer-reviewed
Open the paper (DOI) (opens in a new tab)
What the source says

The peer-reviewed study behind the HBR article: holding back untimely ideas or concerns, and raising them when they fit, made managers value employees' voice more.

Pairs with: I’m in a meeting and I’m not sure whether to speak up.

Data

Indicator: Employee Engagement

Gallup

Updated over time
Open the data (opens in a new tab)
What the source says
46%strongly agree that they know what is expected of them at workU.S. employees · as of August 2026

Gallup's running U.S. and global engagement data, including how many employees strongly agree that they know what is expected of them at work.

Pairs with: My manager gave me an unclear task.

Last checked 20 October 2026

Report

The Gap in Perceptions of New Grads' Competency Proficiency and Resources to Shrink It

Kevin Gray · NACE · 13 January 2025

Data from NACE's Job Outlook 2025 employer survey and 2024 Student Survey

Open the report (opens in a new tab)
What the source says
96.1% → 53.5%of employers rate communication highly important; 53.5% rate recent graduates highly proficient in it237 U.S. employers (NACE Job Outlook 2025) · surveyed Aug–Sep 2024

U.S. employers rate communication and critical thinking as highly important, but far fewer rate recent graduates as highly proficient in them.

Pairs with: I’m new and I don’t know what I’m supposed to know yet.

Report

The Future of Jobs Report 2025

Chapter 3: Skills outlook

World Economic Forum · 7 January 2025

Open the report (opens in a new tab)
What the source says
68.7%of employers consider analytical thinking a core skill for their workforce (the top core skill)Employers surveyed worldwide · Future of Jobs Survey, published January 2025

The core skills employers say they need today, led by analytical thinking, then resilience, flexibility and agility, and leadership and social influence.

Pairs with: I’m new and I don’t know what I’m supposed to know yet.

Reading paths

Not sure where to begin?

New to a role

For your first months somewhere new.

  1. 01BookThe First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded
  2. 02SituationI’m new and I don’t know what I’m supposed to know yet.
  3. 03ReferencesYour Organization

Working with your manager

For clarity, alignment and trust.

  1. 01ArticleManaging Your Boss
  2. 02SituationMy manager gave me an unclear task.
  3. 03BookCrucial Conversations

Finding your voice

For speaking up, pushing back and saying no.

  1. 01BookThe Fearless Organization
  2. 02SituationI’m in a meeting and I’m not sure whether to speak up.
  3. 03SituationI need to say no without sounding unhelpful.
START WITH
WHAT HAPPENED.
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