Transgressive behavior is behavior toward another that can be construed as discriminatory, belittling, intimidating, … in the eyes of that other person.

Whether behavior is transgressive is not always clear. That hand on the shoulder, a nicely intended joke, raised voices during a discussion, constructive criticism in a meeting: For some it is quite normal, for others it goes way too far. Both victims, perpetrators and bystanders have their own boundaries and their own “normal”.

So this requires an open culture where you can have a conversation about this, respect each other’s boundaries and know your own biases around what is “normal” anyway. It also requires the organization to have clear frameworks; This is behavior we will/don’t tolerate and this is what happens in case of.

Working toward an open socially safe culture

A socially safe culture does not guarantee that transgressive behavior will never happen again. After all, we all remain human and mistakes can happen. It does ensure that people can and dare speak out, perpetrators take feedback to heart, consequences follow when necessary, and that the team continues to learn to work together as pleasantly as possible.

Working on social safety and acting on transgressive behavior: what do we do? Depending on your request, we may take (a selection of) the steps below.

• Analysis of what’s going on through a survey or interviews
• Giving insight. Through interactive theater we show what transgressive behavior and social (in)safety is and what is going on in your organization
• Training skills for bystanders, offenders and victims
• Training leaders
• Creating clear organizational frameworks around (un)desirable behavior
• Creating clear processes for notification