Don’t Discourage Dissent: Many view conflict as bad and try suppressing it, but disagreement is healthy. It is an opportunity to have a meaningful conversation, and we should encourage it.
FUD – fear, uncertainty, and doubt. No, not the marketing sort of FUD, but the kind of stuff in your head whenever a change occurs.
It is OK to fear and question things, to have doubts and reservations. It is a natural part of the thinking, reflection, and commitment process.
Every new endeavor starts this way. If it doesn’t, then there is a good chance something is wrong.
The last thing we should do is stifle these thoughts. They must be expressed openly and actively solicited.
Coercing people to agree or commit is one of the many destructive things we do to each other.
Expressing our true feelings starts a conversation that leads to ownership, responsibility, accountability, and commitment.
If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.
Knowledge Cafés and Dissent
Managers sometimes explain their decision not to run a Knowledge Café by stating that they fear the participants will complain or whine and express contrary opinions on emotionally charged or contentious issues.
Or, if they run a Café, they try to craft the question carefully to prevent people from being negative.
They will also often try to control who takes part to eliminate the more outspoken negative people. Or, in one case I heard of, brief the table hosts on who the likely troublemakers are and how to control them.
They try to control people by preventing them from expressing what they feel, but this only drives the dissent underground. People are still negative but do so quietly out of sight, over lunch or coffee.
Indeed, it is better to surface the issues.
Many managers fail to realize that dissent is positive, not negative. People must feel free to express their opinions, views, and reservations.
You want more than just lip service. It is fine for people to have reservations, doubts, and concerns.
You need to surface these doubts and reservations, even hostility. It is healthy people for people to vent their feelings.
Issues can be addressed once they are in the open. If they remain hidden, they fester. Misunderstandings can be quickly cleared up, and genuine issues can be addressed.
Dissent is the cousin of diversity; the respect for a wide range of beliefs.
This begins by allowing people the space to say “no.”
If we cannot say “no” then “yes” has no meaning.
Each needs the chance to express their doubts and reservations without having to justify them or move quickly into problem-solving.
“No” is the beginning of the conversation for commitment.
Doubt and “no” is a symbolic expression of people finding their space and role in the strategy.
It is when we fully understand what people do not want that choice becomes possible.
The leadership task is to surface doubts and dissent without having an answer to every question.
Dissent is healthy. We should not try to suppress it. It is an opportunity to have a meaningful conversation.
Things Todo
- Next time someone disagrees with you, don’t try to argue with them, but take the time to listen to them and have a meaningful conversation.
Resources
- Psychology Today: Strengthening Collaboration Through Encouraging Dissent by Miki Kashtan
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Tags: change (18) | commitment (14) | dissent (6) | doubt (5) | fear (7) | Peter Block (36) | psychological safety (13) | uncertainty (10)
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