Unseen Obstacles: New Research Reveals How to Tackle Hidden Workplace problems
MIT Sloan Management Review’s fall 2025 issue highlights a critical shift in effective management: proactively addressing invisible work and conflict to unlock better business outcomes. Articles such as “Formalize Escalation Procedures to Improve Decision-Making” and “Get Work Back on Track With Visual Management” offer actionable strategies for leaders seeking to move beyond reactive crisis management.
A common pitfall in many organizations is teh tendency for employees to escalate disagreements to management rather than resolving them directly with colleagues. This creates a breeding ground for mistrust and inefficiency. “It was dysfunctional,” recalls one former employee, describing a situation where complaints traveled up and down the management chain, distorting details and consuming valuable time. the solution, they found, was to empower managers to coach employees in direct communication, leading to a meaningful reduction in conflict and unnecessary escalation.
This issue isn’t isolated.Research from Jonathan Hughes and Gabriella Salvatore reveals that a staggering 84% of executives regularly encounter unreasonable counterparts. However, their work also demonstrates that constructive escalation – addressing disagreements at the appropriate level and fostering collaborative resolution – can illuminate underlying issues like unclear decision rights, resource allocation disputes, and communication breakdowns.This transparency allows for proper resolution and surfaces hidden coordination problems.
Just as unresolved conflicts can fester, problems in work design can remain invisible until they trigger a crisis. authors Nelson P. Repenning and donald C.Kieffer have developed four principles for dynamic work design that have proven effective in physical work environments like manufacturing. Recognizing the unique challenges of knowledge work, where processes are less tangible, they’ve added a fifth principle: “make the invisible visible” through visualization.
“Developing a visual representation of invisible intellectual work forces everyone into a common view so that they can see what is working and what is not,” the authors write in their forthcoming book, There’s Got to Be a Better Way: How to Deliver Results and Get Rid of the Stuff that Gets in the Way of Real Work (Basic Venture, 2025). This approach not only identifies problems but also fosters conversation, collaboration, and more effective decision-making.
Ultimately, the key to organizational effectiveness isn’t about eliminating problems altogether, but about identifying and addressing them sooner. By embracing visual management and sound escalation procedures, organizations can shift from constantly reacting to crises to proactively managing challenges, leading to improved operations and a more resilient future.
Why is this happening?
Organizations are increasingly facing challenges stemming from hidden issues in both conflict resolution and work design. Traditional methods of handling disagreements – escalating them to management – often exacerbate problems, creating mistrust and inefficiency. Similarly, problems within work processes, especially in knowledge work, remain unseen until they cause a crisis. This reactive approach hinders organizational effectiveness.
Who is involved?
The key players are executives, managers, and employees across various organizations. Research by Jonathan Hughes and Gabriella Salvatore specifically focuses on the experiences of executives. Nelson P. Repenning and Donald C. Kieffer are authors contributing to the solution with their work on dynamic work design. MIT Sloan Management Review is disseminating this research and actionable strategies.
What is being done?
Researchers and management experts are advocating for a proactive approach. This involves implementing “constructive escalation” – addressing disagreements at the appropriate level – and utilizing “dynamic work design,” particularly the principle of “making the invisible visible” through visualization. MIT Sloan Management Review’s fall 2025 issue will feature articles detailing these strategies.
How did it end?
The research doesn’t present a definitive “end” but rather a shift in approach.The former employee mentioned in the article experienced a positive outcome by empowering managers to coach direct communication,reducing conflict. The overall
