Today is ‘National Bystander Day’. I learned this through a post by Nottinghamshire police who were discussing their ‘Upstander training’ for police officers. In the post they appeared to suggest that the bystander effect was the main reason people don’t speak up. Two things created some conflict with me and have led to me writing … Continue reading Why the term “Upstander” Can get in the way of culture change.
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Words matter but actions are also needed – How social psychology can help to address football related violence.
When tensions spill over between rival football supporters, as they sometimes do in matches involving Rangers and Celtic, it can be tempting to see the behaviour as inevitable. The rivalry is historic, emotional, and deeply tied to identity. Yet social science tells a different story. Behaviour in groups is rarely inevitable, it is patterned, influenced, … Continue reading Words matter but actions are also needed – How social psychology can help to address football related violence.
International Women’s Day 2026 – Allyship really matters
Every year, International Women’s Day arrives with speeches, hashtags, panels, and the familiar promise that this will be the year things shift. The energy is genuine. The intentions are usually sincere. Yet culture, real culture, doesn’t move because of declarations. It moves because everyday people decide to act differently in everyday moments. The theme this … Continue reading International Women’s Day 2026 – Allyship really matters
The ‘Tipping Point’ is you: How small acts of active bystandership change everything.
In 2000, Malcolm Gladwell introduced the world to a deceptively simple idea ‘The Tipping Point’, that small things can make a big difference. Cultures don’t usually collapse in dramatic explosions or rebuild in grand gestures. They shift in increments, in stages. They move when ordinary people do slightly different things in ordinary moments. Active bystandership … Continue reading The ‘Tipping Point’ is you: How small acts of active bystandership change everything.
Active Bystandership: The Hidden Health Resource Inside Every Workplace
Health at work is often framed in physical terms. We measure sickness absence, track injuries, and promote exercise, nutrition, and sleep. These are essential, they focus rightly on the individual, but they miss out the many other forces that exist in all workplaces. The reality is they miss something quieter and more powerful: the social … Continue reading Active Bystandership: The Hidden Health Resource Inside Every Workplace
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