Game Theory at Work: When to Talk and When to Shut Up (2024)
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The art of knowing when to speak up and when to stay silent is a delicate one, and a recent article sparked a lively debate about applying game theory to workplace interactions. Commenters largely agreed that pausing to consider how others might react to our words is a valuable skill, with some sharing personal anecdotes about learning to harness the power of silence. However, the discussion took a contentious turn when debating the wisdom of discussing politics at work, with some arguing it can be a valuable way to gauge colleagues' values, while others countered that it can be alienating or even career-limiting. As one commenter astutely pointed out, people may hesitate to share dissenting views if they're dependent on their jobs, highlighting the complexity of navigating these tricky social dynamics.
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Lets take politics at work.
If you talk about politics and everyone agrees then you know you are working along side aligned people. Which is good and it can be fun to talk politics and see why people think the way they do.
If people disagree thats fine. If theyget mad thats on them. You can always retreat to only professional interaction and if they want to break that by being petty or mean then the manager can sort that out. If your views are so insane you are getting kicked out of groups then you should probably reconsider why you hold those views or why you work with these people.
As for looking professional, do you want to be a robot or a human? Of course your boss would rather you be a blank robot who just gets on with work but they are hiring a human and humans are allowed to express themselves.
You state that as it it's a a truism. There are many times when having a group not be homogeneous allows for a greater breadth of knowledge and consideration to be brought to bear on a topic.
The point of being professional is that it's a way to allow people that may be very different to coexist and function together, sometimes to great effect.
Except you don't know this. People depend on their jobs. If they're the only one who holds an alternate view, they may not figure it worth it. Why risk alienating yourself and potentially be seen as less likeable, which might put your means of income at risk?
[1] https://thehill.com/opinion/education/5446702-performative-v...
Would that be appropriate if your co-workers were being removed by ICE agents in front of you? That's a political act.
Not speaking about politics is a luxury afforded to some because of the political life enacted by so many previous generations.
The vast majority of people see their work as something that they need to do so they can pay the bills. Many have children to provide for.
As stated in the article, you have everything to lose and nothing to gain by talking about politics.
If you politics and that of the organisation is incompatible it is often better to look for new employment. I don't work in certain industries because in conflicts with my personal politics.
> Would that be appropriate if your co-workers were being removed by ICE agents in front of you? That's a political act.
I would keep my mouth shut. My commentary on this event would not help a co-worker and could land me in hot water. So what benefit is there for commentating on the matter? None.
> Not speaking about politics is a luxury afforded to some because of the political life enacted by so many previous generations.
You can talk about it. Just don't do it at work.
You have everything to lose by _not_ talking about politics.
Not at all. Many times you will find yourself wanting to take action but it would be counter productive.
e.g. I had a superior leave a bunch of papers on my desk. I assumed they were for me and starting reading. It had a list of redundancies. Some of these people I knew and was quite friendly with. If I had told them, I could have potentially got myself in a bunch of shit. They would still have been made redundant whether I had warned them or not.
What is the benefit in that situation of warning them? That is your initial instinct right? There is none. I only hurt myself, and they do not benefit. Sometimes your involvement will be counter productive.
Sometimes it is not the right place, the right time, or you might not even be the right person to champion a cause.
BTW, If you have dependants e.g. Most parents prioritise them over their own lives. That is the opposite of being selfish.
> You have everything to lose by _not_ talking about politics.
Nonsense. I have no obligation to engage in political discussion and often engaging in it has a number of negative consequences.
Some families are estranged over divisive political issues. I was estranged from my family (I had substance abuse problems), I have since repaired that relationships. But I won't get that time back.
As previously stated you can talk about it outside of work. Politics is often talked about at length, in bars, clubs, between neighbours and online. Why does it also have to be at the place of work? There is a time and a place for things.
But ok, let's not talk about Miguel who "no longer works here" or Sara who had to move to a different state.
That isn't what is commonly understood. Especially in the scope of this discussion.
You seem to insistent that it should be talked about at the work place, despite the rationale for not discussing it is quite sound. So I don't really think there is point in continuing.
Later on, you get Communism in America and people will not even know what hit them. Massive loss. People that speak up, often don't do it for their own gain.
Do people really need to be told this?
(I actually know the answer is yes, I just wish it was "no"...)
Never do that unless you're around the top of the hierarchy.
Re politics and work
Yes, talking politics at work is mindnumbingly stupid. However i think the gain people get from it is that people who deeply care about politics tie it to morality. Talking about it at work is an expensive signal about your beliefs. To some people there is a lot of value in this.
You learn this so vividly in Silicon Valley particularly with VCs, where staying mum is almost always the best strategy. VCs act as little reactive microprocessors dealing with too many signals, and the less information you give them the easier it is for them to arrive at a decision or strategy. Instead, there's a bias for founders to do the opposite when raising (or salesmen when closing), which is to overshare information thinking there's just one more bit of data that they can provide which will unlock the magical outcome they want. It's a habit of smart but otherwise inexperienced people fall into a trap of in negotiations.
There's tons of other competing externalities too like emotion and market signalling and stuff (eg repeated n-person incomplete games), but if you removed all of that just boiled it down to strategic decision making, this is what game theory teaches us.