Weekly Business Insights from Top Ten Business Magazines | Week 287 | Leading & Managing Section

Extractive summaries of and key takeaways from the articles curated from TOP TEN BUSINESS MAGAZINES to promote informed business decision-making | Week 287 | March 10-16, 2023

Into all problem-solving, a little dissent must fall

By Ben Fletcher | McKinsey & Company | February 15, 2023

Listen to the Extractive Summary of the Article

Events of the past several years have reiterated for executives the importance of collaboration and of welcoming diverse perspectives when trying to solve complicated workplace problems.  But while many leaders say they welcome dissent, their reactions often change when they actually get some.  There is discomfort, too, for potential dissenters; it is much safer to keep your thoughts to yourself and conform than to risk expulsion from the group.  What’s missing in many companies is the use of “contributory dissent” or the capabilities required to engage in healthy if divergent discussions about critical business problems. Contributory dissent allows individuals and groups to air their differences in a way that moves the discussion toward a positive outcome and doesn’t undermine leadership or group cohesion.  For this leaders should Inspire, don’t direct; explicitly demand dissent; and actively engage with naysayers.

Senior leaders need to establish a work environment in which it is safe to offer dissenting views. The McKinsey Health Institute’s work on employee well-being points to a strong correlation between leadership behaviors, collaborative culture, and resistance to mental health problems and burnout.  Leaders can build psychological safety and set the conditions for contributory dissent by rethinking how they engage in debate—both the dynamics and the choreography of it.  

To achieve a state of “graceful play,” senior leaders must carefully manage group dynamics during debates. Rather than lead with their own opinions, for instance, which might immediately carry outsize weight in the group and stifle discussion, senior leaders can hold back and let others lead the discussion.  Beyond just managing debate dynamics, business leaders must take a hand in choreographing the debate and, specifically, in helping to design collective-thinking processes so people know how best to play their part. Business leaders may adopt a structured approach to brainstorming, for instance, or plan strategic off-site schedules that combine deliberate thinking with “distracted” thinking—taking time to engage in a social activity, for instance—to take advantage of employees’ deep-thinking processes.

Senior leaders can take steps to set conditions for robust discussion and problem-solving, but individuals and teams themselves must also have the right mindsets and skills for contributory dissent to work well. In particular, they must embrace the obligation to dissent, actively make space to analyse ideas that are different from their own, and then find ways to either iterate on others’ ideas or respectfully agree to disagree.

But what happens if, after all the considered and tactful input, the dissenter still believes a decision is heading in the wrong direction? In this case, the dissenter should support the leader while flagging that the open debate hasn’t convinced him/her to change his/her initial view.

3 key takeaways from the article

1. Events of the past several years have reiterated for executives the importance of collaboration and of welcoming diverse perspectives when trying to solve complicated workplace problems.  But while many leaders say they welcome dissent, their reactions often change when they actually get some.  There is discomfort, too, for potential dissenters; it is much safer to keep your thoughts to yourself and conform than to risk expulsion from the group.  
2. What’s missing in many companies is the use of “contributory dissent” or the capabilities required to engage in healthy if divergent discussions about critical business problems. 
3. Contributory dissent allows individuals and groups to air their differences in a way that moves the discussion toward a positive outcome and doesn’t undermine leadership or group cohesion.  For this leaders should Inspire, don’t direct; explicitly demand dissent; and actively engage with naysayers.

Full Article

(Copyright)

Topics:  Decision making; Communication, Leadership