Understanding the Bystander Effect

A 2020 study from the University of Copenhagen also revealed that in public conflicts, bystanders will act more often than not. [3] Sociologist Maria Rosenkrantz Lindegaard and her team analyzed hundreds of CCTV clips from the Netherlands, South Africa, and the U.K. From low-scale conflicts to severe violence, they found that intervention is the norm. In fact, 90 percent of the time, three-to-four people stepped in to help if they saw incidents such as someone falling onto train tracks or being assaulted in public.

As Lindegaard says, "You can study violence and aggression in a lab setting. The urgency is different in real life." Watch some of the Good Samaritans from the study caught on CCTV.

Despite these findings, the bystander effect is possible, so it's important that you know how to overcome it should you experience it.

The Bystander Effect at Work

Social paralysis can strike in the workplace too, and the situation doesn't have to be as dramatic as a heart attack. Team members talking over you. A colleague mispronouncing your name. Or being excluded from a joke. Scientists call these small, often unintentional events "micro-inequities" or "microaggressions." Left unchecked, they accumulate and chip away at an individual's potential and performance. [4]

The office can also be a pressure cooker for social influence, or "like me" bias. [5] A group of similar people may be less likely to notice – or intervene – if a colleague from a different background is subject to microaggressions, harassment or bullying.

The workplace can increase assumption levels too. With meetings, emails and instant messages, people assume that key information is widely known and feel less inclined to circulate it. This "voice bystander effect" prevents ideas, concerns and opinions from reaching upper management. [6] Other ways the bystander effect manifests at work include:

• staff assuming that the "office hero" will step up and sort out that task (because they always do) [7]
• online chats excluding or bullying colleagues without anyone speaking up for the victim
• "slacktivism" or passively "liking" a good cause online without following up on your promises [8]

How to Prevent the Bystander Effect

Just knowing about the bystander effect is a great first step to changing behavior. You can share this article with your team and help increase your and others' situational awareness. That way, employees can recognize when they're being a bystander and open their eyes. You can also curb the bystander effect by:

• Not people-watching – in an experiment where smoke filled a room, participants were less likely to respond when others didn't act. Instead of following the group, stay alert to a situation and react accordingly. [9]
• Working on your emotional intelligence – studies show that obligation and empathy levels increase if a bystander has medical or self-defense training. [10] In the corporate world, these skills could be small talk, active listening and maintaining eye contact.
• Grabbing a coffee with others – research shows that we're more likely to help people we know and those we who think deserve it. [11] In Japan, for example, homeless people generally get more sympathy from passers-by, who are more likely to know someone who's lost their home to a natural disaster. [12] Socializing with colleagues outside the office or simply going for a coffee together can help you get to know and be more likely to help others.
• Reducing team sizes – the more people in a group, the greater the potential of bystander effect. So, can you encourage your team to work in smaller groups on projects? [13]
• Stopping heroes –if you always fight fires (because people expect you to), speak up! Delegating will spread the workload, lower your stress levels and you might enjoy passing on your skillsets. You'll also help increase knowledge within the organization, which can improve workflows and drive innovation. [14]

How Bystanders Can Intervene

If you see a colleague suffering microaggressions, harassment or bullying at work, you can use the "Four Ds of Bystander Intervention" to put a stop to it.

1. Direct intervention – confront and tell the perpetrator to stop.
2. Distraction – engage with the victim and ignore the perpetrator.
3. Delegation– seek support from others to stop the situation.
4. Delay– after the incident, ask the victim if they're okay and/or tell the perpetrator why their behavior was unacceptable. [15]

And acting first makes a big difference. Research shows when we observe other people engaging in prosocial behavior* we're more likely to do the same. [16]

Finally, you don't have to be selfless to stop the bystander effect. Studies show that when we feel happy or successful, we're more likely to help others. Dubbed the "feel good, do good effect," [17] you can get it by listening to your favorite song, feeling the sun on your face or ticking off a task from your to-do list. The more you enjoy this boost, the more you'll stand up for colleagues in times of need.