That sounds easier on paper than it is in real life.  For it can be hard to walk the line between cognitive and interpersonal conflict. We grow attached to our ideas, and when they are questioned and interrogated – rather than receiving universal acclaim – it’s hard not to take that personally. Feeling comfortable with cognitive conflict is a skill we need to grow, a ‘muscle’ we need to develop. But that won’t happen without the right conditions for cognitive conflict to flourish. These include organisational support, diversity, psychological safety, and – according to Collective Genius – one additional critical factor: “A community in which there is a strong sense of ‘we’ and a belief that ‘we all succeed or fail together’.”

Hill et al. advise that for cognitive conflict to work we need a clear common understanding of its purpose. Team members can’t just disagree to be difficult, or display power, or battle out some sort of interpersonal conflict. They must understand they’re working to find the best solution and keep that end result in mind.

Managing dissent to produce constructive outcomes can also be tricky, since many leaders and managers are scared of disagreement and don’t know how to guide and shape it. How do they create an environment where dissent is safe, where disagreement is not seen as a personal attack, and where all ideas are welcomed?

We don’t have all the answers here – but we can say there is no simple ‘silver-bullet’ solution for organisations. A whole range of processes and practices may need to be examined and possibly reimagined. Companies may need to question and adjust their current leaderships styles, and managers may need to become more skilled at guiding teams through active disagreements. Furthermore, dissent and conflict need to be balanced with kindness, empathy and care for others. For while we don’t need to shy away from criticism, we should focus on praise.  ‘Radical candour’ is not an excuse for ‘obnoxious aggression’, ‘brutal honesty’ and ‘front stabbing’ but a way to move on from command-and-control structures to create more collaborative workplaces (Scott, 2014).  It’s not about knocking people down but providing guidance so people can grow. 

In Includovate – where our team is spread across five continents, and our members have been shaped by cultures and customs from around the world – this is a work in progress. Many of us grew up in hierarchical power structures, and were told not question those ‘above us.’ As women (which the majority are at Includovate) we have discussed the way we were raised to defer to others, be “good girls” and subjugate our own thoughts and ideas. We resist these tendencies and engrained norms every day as adults. But as a team we can say we are committed to making communications at work more authentic, to seeking more innovative and productive solutions, and creating an organisation where we can truly speak our minds.