Productive Disagreement and Debate is Good for Organisation

Friction caused by conflicting ideas and disagreements is par for the course in most organisations. However, leaders may not want to wish away disagreement and allied conflict completely. This is because conflict, when handled well, also has its benefits. Indeed, conflict management research has proven that organisations that foster a culture of productive disagreement, debate and conflict resolution enable open communication and innovation that ultimately yields competitive advantage.

Disagreements Can Have Positive Outcomes

Ground-breaking research conducted by Cornell’s Prof Elizabeth Mannix on conflict management strategies adopted by teams provides organisations insights into how teams work. She and her team of researchers incorporated quantitative and qualitative data in their longitudinal study of patterns of group conflict over time.

The researchers found that a team’s success hinged on how it handled conflict. High-performing teams that also ranked high on team satisfaction were proactive in determining conflict resolution strategies. Such teams ranked low on personal conflict and high on trust, despite engaging in strong disagreements. They had clarity on how each member’s interests aligned with team goals and based decisions on evidence and analysis, steering clear of ego clashes. Teams that were high performing but ranked low on satisfaction similarly didn’t lose sight of the task and imposed clear rules in times of conflict. However, these groups experienced low satisfaction since one or more people didn’t get along well.

The same study also found that some teams experienced high satisfaction but ranked low in performance. This occurred primarily due to team members prioritising personal satisfaction and team harmony at the expense of the team’s mission. Finally, members of “avoidant or miserable” teams that ranked low on performance and satisfaction, often avoided meetings and discussions. They had no clear rules and relied on trial and error to define their procedures.

The key takeaway from Prof Mannix’s study is that when leaders foster a culture of productive disagreement and debate, they improve collaboration and harmony among teams. Creativity and innovation are also triggered among team members if disagreements are managed well, instead of squelching opposing viewpoints. This finding complements what Harvard researchers Julia A. Minson and Francesca Gino recognised about differing points of view: “disagreement, when managed well, gets greater results than avoidance does.” Perhaps, there is another lesson here—employees who fear disagreeing with others may have lost an opportunity to forge a productive working relationship with their co-workers. Thus, open and respectful disagreement at work encourages a culture of tolerance, inclusion, and ultimately, productive communication and collaboration.

Healthy Debates Foster Collaboration and Diversity of Thought

A common misconception people have is that conflict is the opposite of collaboration. Research demonstrates that the two concepts are not mutually exclusive.  

Empirical studies conducted by Associate Professor Ming Hong-Sai at Singapore Management University (SMU) found that debates create “perceptions” of another person's openness to alternative ideas. This increases collaboration between the two individuals, to a greater extent than do disagreements. The research counterintuitively suggests that conflict can stimulate collaboration when people display their differences in a constructive and open-minded manner.

Also, drawing from scholarship in psychology, sociology, and management, Prof Minson and her colleagues found that fostering debate in a culture of collaboration and trust can be achieved by tactfully turning “potentially destructive conflicts into productive ones”.  

Further, studies show that organisations that encourage diverse thinking and disagreements are more likely to generate breakthrough, innovative solutions. For example, a study of top management teams (TMT), or the upper echelons, demonstrated how the organisation’s innovation strategy, outcomes and performance are linked to the diverse nature (educational and work backgrounds) of their TMT.

Crucially, when organisations promote Diversity of Thought, they are acknowledging unique perspectives and boosting creativity among teams. Conversely, if leaders shy away from managing diverse perspectives, they will create an environment of fear where opposing views are discouraged and the concerns of team members are overlooked. This leads to groupthink, a phenomenon documented and demonstrated by behavioural scientist Irving Janis. When conflicts arise in a group, members are afraid to offer differing opinions as the pressure to agree is immense. Fear of dissent and extreme consensus-seeking tendencies are some of the symptoms of groupthink.

The danger of falling prey to groupthink is precisely why organisations must move away from a consensus-driven culture and encourage diverse viewpoints and open, productive disagreements and debates. Research demonstrates that diverse groups enable better decision-making in organisations as this enables more creative information processing, typically absent in homogenous groups.

Paving the way for a culture of “disagreement” and productive debate

BCG studied 100,000 corporate filings from 2005 to 2016 to test the idea that “human” companies produce better outcomes. The study developed an algorithm by leveraging natural language processing (NLP) technology to measure the true “character” of corporations. The research revealed that companies that described themselves using humanistic language that support debate and diverse opinions—words such as truth, true, fact, and transparency—achieved 0.7% premium in annual growth and a 0.6% premium in annual shareholder returns over a three-year period, as well as enhanced employee engagement and management diversity.

Despite a growing culture of diversity and inclusivity of thought across organisations, leaders need to do more to create a safe environment to facilitate productive debate and disagreement in the workplace. Here, we offer some strategies to help organisations achieve this objective:

• Managers must empower employees to freely express their opinions as it’s a good way to approach problem-solving and improve business outcomes. 
  

• Managers should ensure team members are not engaging in “grandstanding” when they voice their opinion. Dissenting employees should have a shared purpose that aligns with their organisation’s goal, when they express a different viewpoint or concern. Otherwise, productive disagreements could turn into toxic conflicts.  

• Organisations should adopt an evidence-based approach to fostering a culture of productive disagreement and debate. Leaders must display a willingness to engage in critical thinking and analysis for the purpose of presenting differing viewpoints.

• In a 2021 survey conducted by Prof Minson, only 39% of the respondents reported being trained or coached in handling workplace conflict. Leaders should coach employees in handling workplace conflict to help them feel more comfortable about tackling disagreements with coworkers.

• Leaders should cultivate a receptive mindset to better understand opposing views. Research by academics showed that people are more receptive to another person’s viewpoint by identifying key words and phrases that help resolve conflicts quickly.

   

Finally, according to Stanford researchers Jesper B. Sørensen and Glenn R. Carroll, companies like Amazon and Netflix are successful because they encourage a culture of vigorous debate. In a letter to shareholders in 2017, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos used the management expression “disagree and commit” to advise his employees to do great work and avoid the consensus trap. In line with this thinking, the professors’ research showed that “great strategy demands the exchange and vetting of ideas — both in its development and implementation.”

The researchers found that constructive debate promotes a shared way of thinking. If employees participate in frank debates and discussions, it will eventually result in enhanced strategic outcomes for the organisation. This alone might be reason enough for why we should start disagreeing more at work.