Implement an obligation to dissent. A number of con- sultancies talk about an “obligation to dissent” with their clients, to deliberately play devil’s advocate even when they might be in agreement with the proposed course of action. We might appoint certain individuals to play the role of a Socratic dissenter in meetings, gently but resolutely questioning perspectives that otherwise have full consensus. Team leaders should take this responsibility even more seriously and might learn from the example of General Motor’s president in the 1920s, Alfred P Sloan Jr, who was known for actively soliciting dissenting views. He would often end meetings by saying:
“Gentlemen, I take it we are all in complete agreement on the subject… then I propose we postpone further dis- cussion of this until our next meeting, to give ourselves time to develop disagreement and perhaps gain some understanding of what the decision is all about.”
