Organizations emphasize collaboration and consensus-driven decision-making. After all, isn’t that how good decisions are made? Though we are in the era of data-driven decision-making, in reality, most decisions are still the outcome of HIPPO (the highest paid person’s opinion in the room). Whether we fully agree or not, we acquiesce to the whims of the CXO, EVP, SVP or VP. In other situations, it’s the squeakiest wheel’s voice that gets heard.
So how do we make good decisions and innovate better?
Margaret Thatcher once stated, “To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies in search of something in which no one believes, but to which no one objects.” The former British Prime Minister believed that consensus is the opposite of conviction. According to research, it turns out that she was right. Consensus is an innovation killer. In the pursuit of consensus, we make concessions and trade-offs. The process produces less original thinking and less creative outcomes. We fail to make breakthrough innovation and we wonder why.
The Value Of Dissent…
To read the full article, visit Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesnycouncil/2019/06/24/why-innovation-benefits-from-dissent/
About Scott Amyx
Managing Partner at Amyx Ventures, Top Global Innovation Keynote Speaker, TEDx, Forbes, Singularity U., SXSW, IBM Futurist, Tribeca Fellow
