squeaky wheel system

Derived from the saying "the squeaky wheel gets the grease".[1]

squeaky wheel system (plural squeaky wheel systems)

1. The strategy in organizations of only responding to filed complaints while ignoring known but unvoiced issues.
   • 1993, Jeffrey Pfeffer, Managing With Power: Politics and Influence in Organizations, Harvard Business Press, →ISBN, page 406:

     The problem with the squeaky-wheel system is that the production of the squeaking diverts efforts from other activities, potentially of more benefit to the firm.

   • 2013, “Schmitz Explains Squeaky Wheel System at Scott Lecture”, in Colorado Law‎:

     According to Schmitz, the "squeaky wheel system" severely limits consumers’ rights because it discriminates against consumers based on their socioeconomic status.

   • 2011, Margaret J. Shepherd, The Visionbuilders' Manual: 9 Steps To Panoramic Success For Your Company, Career or Cause, Morgan James Publishing, →ISBN, page 174:

     It's easy to operate on the “squeaky wheel” system too, focusing on what causes distress in the moment. It takes conscious effort to live a day of clear intention.

   • 2020, Leonardo de Oliveira, Sara Hourani, Access to Justice in Arbitration: Concept, Context and Practice, Kluwer Law International B.V., →ISBN, page 22:

     As I have argued, pre-dispute arbitration clauses have been particularly powerful in the US to perpetuate differential access to remedies and justice in business-to-consumer dealings, producing a 'squeaky wheel system' in which only the most sophisticated squeaky wheels are sufficiently proactive in pursuing their complaints to get the limited assistance, remedies and other benefits that companies provide.