Productive Conflict vs. Artificial Harmony

We’ve discussed "creative abrasion" and productive conflict , and the importance of making effective decisions as a team . But what if your team doesn’t share the same ideas? I would expect and want people to passionately debate and share their ideas, as long as they don’t denigrate another person’s ideas in the process. You will be able to make better and faster decisions if the team has collectively created an environment where each person feels equally safe to share their honest perspectives, without a sense of the "artificial harmony" Patrick Lencioni refers to in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.

This is the way I describe that behavior to teams. Do you remember the bobblehead dogs that people would place in their car rear windows? You get the picture—they nod relentlessly. Well, if you as the leader ask the question, “Is everyone on board with this decision and our plan of action?” and you see anything even slightly resembling a bobblehead from the people on your team and not a question or a word of concern... then you might be experiencing artificial harmony!

So what do you do if you see this "bobbleheading"? Don’t take them at their word. Ask questions ! Ask them to tell you all the things that could go wrong, all the iffy assumptions that have been built in, who we must convince this is a good idea... and then rely on the renewed energy, candor, and creativity of the team to bear and address those challenges together!

For this process to be truly effective, however, several necessary pieces must be in place for the team to create a fertile environment for productive conflict. One obviously critical element is for the team leader to role model what this looks like ; and I will discuss this in more detail in upcoming posts. But what about the rest of the team; what can they do to promote this inviting environment? Well, just like you have ground rules to make your meeting more effective (e.g., start and end on time, limit side bar conversations, forbid multitasking), a team also needs to create conflict norms that beget productive discussions that will lead to decisions to which everyone can—and will—commit .

Generating these principles themselves enhances any team’s commitment to uphold them. Even if your team has never used guidelines for decision making, many people on your team probably have some ideas of what the guidelines might be. I suggest that you and your team do the same; don’t get hung up on whether you currently have any rules. Simply move on to create them, and use them going forward.

For hints on how to create your own team conflict norms that will enable more effective decisions, click here for my post on that topic.