Healthy debates at work aren’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, if done in a healthy way, they can be very productive. Worse than arguing, is not talking at all. You can’t fix what you don’t know or understand, but too many teams fail from silence, which stems from a fear of conflict.
Here are three quick tips for having healthy debates:
1. None of us is smarter than all of us
Cognitive diversity means including those who have different ways of problem-solving because their difference in thinking provides unique perspectives. The discomfort that may be felt through conversations of disagreement is more likely to make progress toward solutions, consensus, and innovation rather than holding back with silence. Playing nice doesn’t mean having ‘nice’ conversations that don’t hit the issues head-on. Hearing other people’s perspective with an open mind allows for a broad perspective with the exchange of diverse ideas.
2. We are all on the same team
Remembering that we’re all on the same team is an important big-picture view of the organization to extract and accept the group’s cognitive diversity. Solutions aren’t so much about who is right and who is not, or saving face, or looking good. Healthy debates argue honestly for and against the merits of different ideas, and that can help the entire team. Start discussions with a common goal, and use curiosity to help elicit input. “How might we achieve (solution or goal) is a great example.
3. Don’t take it personally
Bring your QTIP (Quit Taking It Personally) to the debate, to help you keep a more logical and less emotional approach to finding a solution that carries the group forward, rather than needing to be right or get your own way. If someone argues against your idea, it’s not against you as a person.
For more details about healthy debates, check out Harvard Business Reviews How to Debate Ideas Productively at Work.
Human resources managers and team leaders often ask me to help their people gain the knowledge and skills to have healthy debates. These are crucial skills in the new workplace sandbox that can be learned with our Sandbox Training or learned and implemented in our Conflict Resolution and Workplace Restoration service.
The high cost of corporate conflict is avoidable, and profits can be used for better things. Book your discovery call today.
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