Using debate and dialogue in tandem to help teams resolve organizational issues can lead to better outcomes than the exclusive use of either.

Webster defines dialogue as an exchange of ideas and opinions. Alternatively it defines debate as the discussion of a question by considering opposing arguments. At their core both are a form of discussion and neither definition references winning or losing a discussion. In fact in successful organizations team members set aside competing agendas to collaborate on identifying and implementing the best solutions to organizational challenges.

There’s a perception by some leaders in organizations that dialogue and debate are mutually exclusive processes. This is apparently based on the fear that passionate discussion is disruptive to team success and leads to personal attacks and lackluster outcomes. These leaders prefer a feel good dialogue process that is passion-less and polite and allows team members to weigh-in and be heard. Team members are discouraged from challenging the ideas and perspectives of others in an effort to avoid disruptions and emotional turmoil. Perhaps these leaders witnessed someone using debate as a weapon to advance a personal agenda at the expense of a colleague or peer. However, the risk to an organization of using a safe, passion-less dialogue process for solution development is the absence of constructive dialogue and respectful debate likely leading to a suboptimal solution from the team.

By definition a Constructive Dialogue is one in which team members are expected to actively participate, share their views, and identify the best outcomes to address an organizational challenge.  In concert with constructive dialogue a Respectful Debate is one in which the airing of team member ideas and perspectives is expected and where ideas and perspectives are respectfully vetted in pursuit of the best outcomes. Neither personal agendas nor attacks are allowed, and ideas are vetted and prioritized based on criteria determined by team members, e.g., by the quality and feasibility of an idea.

The value of constructive dialogue is that it brings a team of people with a common objective together to discuss ideas, goals, actions and possibilities. However, what makes dialogue more than a polite, passion-less discussion is empowering team members to constructively challenge respective points of view so that a team is confident it has whittled down the myriad ideas and opinions to the best ones. In this way the team can legitimately commit to and own the implementation of its recommendations and passionately communicate them to others.

During the course of a dialogue when team members respectfully challenge (vet) the perspectives of others they engage in healthy, constructive debate. Additionally, respectful debate is collaborative, identifies pros and cons and leads to a consensus on the best solution and actions to be taken.

It’s the responsibility of a leader to define expectations for team member behaviors and the caliber of ideas and recommendations. Additionally, the leader should encourage constructive dialogue between himself/herself and the team, as well as, among team members.

In the end dialogue and debate are not an either or, i.e., mutually exclusive. Instead they’re mutually enriching, interdependent and work best together to achieve better solutions.

The Corbett Group is a certified leadership coaching and organization consulting group. Our Value Proposition is to help improve organization results by establishing alignment and commitment between leaders and their teams with their vision, goals and actions.

We accomplish this by helping leaders leverage their strengths and those of their teams, address development opportunities, own their goals and actions and lead the change efforts required to achieve their vision.

Bob Corbett

Increasingly today’s and tomorrow’s leaders will be challenged to effectively mobilize and lead increasing culturally diverse teams of people in organizations. So the question is; does leadership success in these times require a competency in Conflict Management?

A conflict is the intersection of opposing views without a mutually satisfactory resolution for the parties to the conflict. Positive conflict occurs when people learn from and about one another and where there’s resolution of the opposing views. Negative conflict occurs where ultimately there’s and impasse no willingness to move beyond the impasse to resolution.

Would a competency in conflict management process enable a leader to help team members move beyond differing opinions that fuel uncollaborative behavior and negative conflicts to reach consensus? The answer is yes, if compliant behavior is the desired outcome. However, the answer is no if instead the desired outcome is sustainable collaborative behavior.

Contributors to negative conflict include:

• Ineffective Communication between the leader and team.

• Unclear Expectations between the leader and team.

• Lack of Respect for differences among team members.

• Little or no active listening to others perspectives and resistance to being influenced by others.

Unfortunately conflict management is a reactive response where a proactive approach would better serve the leader’s and the team’s desire for sustained collaboration.

Alternatively a proactive leadership approach is a preventative. It’s focus is to create an environment where understanding and respecting the basis for others’ perspectives is encouraged and valued. Where the constructive challenging and discussion of differences for understanding while allowing yourself to be influenced by what you hear is also valued and encouraged.

This preventative approach creates an environment where members of diverse and multi-cultural teams can thrive and succeed because differences are valued, are not a distraction and instead enhance team success. It also facilitates personal understanding and collaboration. In this way the leader creates a team culture where learning is maximized and negative conflicts are minimized.

Through a preventative approach by the leader members of diverse and multi-cultural teams learn to appreciate rather than dismiss out of hand the power of their individual diversity, (i.e., diversity of culture, expertise, and thought), and to value the insights that their diversity can contribute to identifying the best solutions and the next steps for achieving team goals.

Contributors to a proactive and preventative leadership approach include:

• Constructive, challenging dialogue on different perspectives and thought to get to the best outcome.

• Active listening to team member perspectives to learn, understand and be influenced.

• Valuing diverse perspectives and thoughts.

• Trusting the intentions of team members.

So is a competency in conflict management required for leadership success? It can be helpful but isn’t required for success. Rather a proactive, preventative approach that creates a team environment that values differences, respectful and challenging dialogue, and sustainable collaboration will generate far more leadership success.

At the end of the day it’s the responsibility of an effective leader to create the supportive environment necessary for teams and their members to value rather than fear their differences and to value the power of heterogeneous thought over homogeneous thought.

The Corbett Group provides leadership and team effectiveness coaching to help leaders and teams leverage strengths, clarify expectations, and improve team alignment, communication and working relationships.

Bob Corbett