Controversy Can Be Beneficial For Teams!

We often work in multi- or cross-functional teams.  Team members come to the team with different backgrounds, experiences, perspectives and opinions.  Those differences can bring value and benefits to the team’s work and results.  We encourage team leaders to keep in mind some of these guidelines:

• The team experience would be very boring if we were all the same, with the same thoughts, all the time
• Encourage the team to seek out and listen to each person’s point of view
• Solicit ideas about problems and issues to address
• Collaborate on solutions and recommendations
• Don't force agreement, but look and listen for indications of disagreement
• To address the disagreement, seek controversy by not asking for consensus, but for anyone who disagrees
• Let those who disagrees with an idea or opinion have the opportunity to express his/her thoughts, and ask others to listen carefully
• Facilitate an open, honest discussion amongst the team that considers the best possibilities, pros/cons, etc.
• Acknowledge the controversy, reinforce that all the best possibilities have been considered
• Seek consensus from the team to move forward.