Back

Debate Drives Better Decisions

  • Share This:

It can happen in an instant. You’re talking with a teammate, and without really thinking, you comment on something you like or dislike. To your surprise, the person you’re speaking with has a strong reaction to the comment. At first, they’re taken aback by what you said, maybe in shock. And then they’re angry. That anger quickly takes over and escalates, giving you no time to clarify or redirect. You’re now in conflict.

This type of conflict—let’s call it negative conflict—is a destructive force that strains relationships, erodes trust, and tears teams apart. Some estimates put the cost of this type of conflict in U.S. companies to be around $359 billion in lost time and productivity, an astounding figure that equates to about three hours a week per person.

While conflict is a state of antagonism, heightened competition, or struggle and is often seen as negative, there’s another type—let’s call it positive conflict. This type of conflict can drive breakthrough thinking, innovation, and growth. Positive conflict is the creative tension that leads teams to deliver far more and far better together than they could have individually.

While most people instinctively avoid conflict, Margaret Heffernan demonstrates in her TED Talk Dare To Disagree, that good disagreement is central to progress. She illustrates how the best partners aren’t echo chambers and how great research teams, relationships, and businesses allow people to disagree deeply.

This week, consider how you can avoid negative conflict and provoke —and sustain— positive conflict. Take a look at your Prism Portrait to recognize how dimensions of your personality could create or ease negative conflict. Then, think through how you might set up some interventions for yourself to start applying a trust-building process that leverages the strengths in your natural approach.

“For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.”
— Margaret Heffernan

Do you have an idea you want to share with an empowered community of self-aware professionals? If you’d like to contribute an idea or article to ‘In The Flow of Work’ on the Evolve blog, just send us a message or submit a post to our Head of Content, Adam Schneider

Related Content

post thumbnail
In the Flow of Work
More Human & More Sure People

Bytes of Kindness In the evolving landscape of modern workplaces, the synergy between human resources and technology has become increasingly crucial. How we integrate advancements in technology, particularly in the realm of artificial intelligence,...

post thumbnail
In the Flow of Work
Solving the Hustle Puzzle

At the Intersection of A.I. & H.I. The pursuit of continuous growth has been ingrained in our societal fabric for decades. Though we may largely refuse to acknowledge it, such pursuits are not without...

post thumbnail
In the Flow of Work
AI: The Surprising Sidekick

Augmenting Human Intelligence In seemingly no time at all, the topic of artificial intelligence has reached and dominated the forefront of many discussions and concerns. We worry about its speed of development against the...

Man with beard resting head on hand, and a woman in the foreground, both looking up at a presentation.

Insights on People Analytics, Self-Mastery, High-Performance Teams and the Future of Work

Get insights delivered to your inbox.