Active bystandership when correctly defined and applied builds strong workplace culture. Ther approach builds cohesive, strong and resilient teams and workplaces. Science backs this up. If you aren’t having the active bystandership conversation, you should. Here’s why
In a previous blog I wanted to better define the term active bystandership. As I pointed out it creates a lot of debate in a group. Some see it as actively doing nothing, others see the complete opposite. It’s about doing something.
Let’s explore the term a little bit more and start to discuss the benefits of using it as an approach to maintain and improve team/organisational culture. Many organisations and teams rely on a set of values to describe their culture. That’s where many organisations fail. For me Culture is like the “weather system” of an organisation—you can’t hold it in your hand, but you feel it every day. It’s the mix of shared beliefs, habits, unwritten rules, and social norms that tell people how things are really done around here, regardless of what the official policy manual says.
It shows up in things like:
1. How people speak Do people speak freely to leadership or is everything filtered and cautious?
2. Attitudes toward mistakes. Are errors treated as learning moments or as grounds for punishment
3. Rituals and routines. From Friday coffee chats to how meetings are run, these patterns signal what’s valued.
4. Stories and legends. The tales’ employees tell about their past colleagues, big events, or celebrated successes that shapes identity.
Don’t forget Culture isn’t neutral either. It can be healthy, energising, and inclusive, or it can be toxic and divisive. And importantly, it’s not what leaders say it is, it’s what people experience every day. It’s what often excites them before they come to work or creates dread as they enter the building.
As I say (often I know) Active bystandership in its truest form can really support a winning culture. I see far too many settings suggest bystander work is simply about giving people tools. Okay, I get that but active bystandership doesn’t just provide the tools for action it provides the permission to act. It instils a responsibility in everyone to intervene when harm is about to happen or has happened. Active bystandership is when teammates don’t just witness problematic behaviour (like disrespect) but instead step in constructively to prevent harm, support others & reinforce team values.
Active bystandership doesn’t always start with an act. It can and often starts with a thought: “I wonder what it feels like to be them” or “what’s happening to them that’s making them do this”. When we change perspective we help change our perception and our first response. We become better friends and teammates.
The other day I read the story of a Police Scotland Sergeant who was found guilty of an assault on duty. An experienced officer who it appears made a career ending lapse in judgement. Career ending as it’s very likely he will lose his job. What I also saw was officers who were in court giving evidence against him. The question I often ask is what if?
In a culture of active bystandership this officers’ colleagues would have felt a responsibility to act at time not afterwards. The hierarchy present would have been overcome. There would be no assault, no career loss, no colleagues in court, no incident to report and no blog from me
So for me active bystandership as an approach can significantly strengthen team culture in several ways. Let me explain how.
1. Promotes Accountability – Teammates learn that everyone has a role in upholding team standards, not just coaches or captains. Addressing negative behaviours (e.g. bullying, initiation, exclusion etc) prevents small issues from becoming ingrained cultural problem. Could peer accountability have saved the above officers career?
2. Builds Trust & Safety – When teammates step in to support one another, it fosters psychological safety. Colleagues know they won’t be isolated/humiliated.
This encourages open communication, which makes it easier to admit mistakes, ask for help, or try new strategies without fear.
3. Strengthens Respect and Inclusion – Active bystandership challenges stereotypes, discrimination, or “locker room talk” that can alienate teammates. In male dominated cultures like policing, it helps address masculinity contest cultures which are a major issues in any male dominated culture.
By speaking up, players reinforce that every member is valued, which deepens team unity and inclusivity. Intervention becomes normal and seen as a supportive action – “I’m doing this to stop you making a career ending mistake”
4. Encourages Positive Leadership at All Levels – It empowers everyone, not just those with defined leadership roles, to influence team culture.
This shared responsibility reduces reliance on top-down enforcement of culture and creates a sense of collective ownership. In likes of policing it helps remind of the basic reasons many join the profession – to help others.
5. People feel more responsibility if instead of simply having skills they are in a position of authority. Being assigned a leadership role helps people stand out from a group. It helps to overcome a diffusion of responsibility which often occurs in groups. Active bystanders are leaders.
6. Improves Performance Through Cohesion – Teams with strong, respectful cultures collaborate better & experience less conflict. Such teams look out for each other, and social connections are developed and maintained. This is a key protective factor to address current issues of poor wellbeing in police and other professions. Relationships become the currency of change.
The environment allows players to focus on performance rather than interpersonal tension or toxic dynamics. As I say in my work with sports “Distractions off field quickly distract on it”.
7. Models’ good citizenship – Individuals carry active bystandership skills into their personal and community life.
The team becomes known for integrity and respect, which enhances reputation and attracts new talent. This also helps build trust and confidence in the organisation. At a time when policing is too reliant on its code of ethics or convictions of officers to build confidence, the early actions of officer and staff communicate a real desire to change and support communities. It suggests “we want to do better and here’s how”
Active bystandership offers a transformative lens. It teaches us not just to intervene at times of crisis but provides a caring framework where friends look out for friends, through perspective taking, emotional regulation and moral courage. By doing so we elevate a workforce and create safer and more accountable workplaces.
Over to you.
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