How to Encourage Healthy Debate and Challenge Team Thinking
Diverse teams increase innovation and improve an organization’s ability to respond to challenges. To harness the power of diversity, leaders need know how to encourage healthy debate.
A culture of healthy debate comes from focusing on team basics like: an emphasis on company performance metrics, a genuine interest in others’ ideas, and a demonstrated belief in the ability of people on the team. It also comes from a leader who knows when to be patient and let debate flourish, and when to be decisive and move on. It’s a delicate balance.
People in organizations tend to take any message from those above them as directive. It’s easy for employees to think: “If that’s what the boss wants… well, ok.” It’s harder to get people to think: “hmmm, the boss has a good point there. How can I improve my approach?”
In general, the best decisions emerge after healthy debate and hearing out varying points of view. It takes conscious efforts by leaders to build a company culture where all ideas can be heard and valued.
Leaders who have the discipline to challenge team thinking and listen openly to the team before making a decision create an open culture of debate. Good leaders hold back and check for consensus before making a decision.
How do you shut down an idea without shutting down debate?
The biggest challenge for many leaders is how to handle ideas you don’t support. It takes a lot of faith that the best ideas will win out in the end, and a little patience too.
The first thing to do is pause. See if someone else will challenge the idea. If other team members are willing to point out potential problems, hold back and be patient. Let the team find another direction.
If there are no challenges to an idea you find problematic, formulate a neutral question about how the idea works. Try starting with “what if…”. The person with the idea may surprise you and address your concerns. If they can’t, resist putting them on the spot. Give them time to adjust the idea to address concerns or for them to soften their support. Often a day or two of thinking is all they need to back off or come around to your way of thinking.
When leaders strike the right balance between openness and decisiveness, between challenging and listening, they encourage better contributions from people close to the front lines where the company meets the real world. According to John Doerr and other managerial experts, the right balance is about 40% of ideas and decisions bubbling up from the lower ranks, and about 60% of ideas and decisions coming down from the top.
If you’re looking to challenge team thinking and encourage more ideas from your team, here are a few things to DO or DON’T to get the balance right.
Three Do’s and Don’ts to Encourage Healthy Debate
DO BE CURIOUS. Ask people to explain how they came to see it that way. Try to see where they are coming from. Get backstory on the development of their ideas. Often when they explain how they got there, they start to see other options and even better ideas emerge.
DON’T USE THE WORD “WHY.” Simply this one word can make people defensive. It is often interpreted as a challenge, even when that’s not the intent. Asking “why” prompts people to justify themselves, which is less informative than explaining. Instead, use questions that start with “how” or “what.” Try: How did you come to that decision? What makes you want to try that first?
DO SEEK TO UNDERSTAND. There is almost always more than one way to do or think about anything. Try to understand what is effective in the other person’s thinking and see if you can expand your approach. Observe differences in your own thinking simply and factually, indicating openness to new ideas.
DON’T JUDGE OR BLAME. Judgment and blame will destroy any other efforts toward openness, trust, and innovation. Words like “good,” “bad,” “I like,” or “I don’t like,” and any of their many equivalents put the leader in the judgment seat. When the leader sits in judgment, others will quickly gravitate toward aiming to please rather than aiming to solve problems. Rigorously check your impulse to point fingers, make excuses, or pass responsibility off onto others. Good leaders take responsibility, focus on results, and strive to be open to new ideas.
DO EXPLORE OBSTACLES. Identify what might get in the way and explore options for working around likely trouble spots. Be empathetic to others’ obstacles and help them explore options. Letting others decide how they want to proceed empowers them to grow. When obstacles are external, often it is the leader’s job to address them to help the team stay on track.
DON’T SOLVE THE PROBLEM FOR THEM. Working through problems is among the most beneficial of work experiences. Leaders develop their people primarily by giving them assignments that require them to stretch and develop new skills. Being empathetic, helping them explore options to overcoming obstacles, and demonstrating trust and encouragement will help them build the skills they need to be become valuable leaders themselves in the future.
It’s not easy to get the balance right, but focusing on performance, open debate, and trust will create the right foundation. Trust yourself that the rest will follow.
