10x Silent Disagreements
The Hidden Saboteurs of Teams
Teams are the backbone of modern organizations. But for teams to truly excel, they need more than just individual talent and a shared mission. They need an environment where differing viewpoints can be openly discussed, debated, and ultimately aligned. Sadly, many teams fall victim to silent disagreements – unspoken tensions and misalignments that erode trust, undermine collaboration, and hamper outcomes.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Lens on Conflict
Patrick Lencioni's "Five Dysfunctions of a Team" offers a powerful lens to understand why silent disagreements fester.
Let's examine each dysfunction and how they create a breeding ground for silence:
Absence of Trust: When team members are afraid to be vulnerable or admit mistakes, they naturally hold back their honest opinions, sowing the seeds of silent disagreement.
Fear of Conflict: Without trust, teams avoid the healthy, ideological conflict that leads to the best decisions. Concerns go unvoiced, and resentment simmers below the surface.
Lack of Commitment: Ambiguous goals and lingering doubts erode commitment. People might outwardly agree but silently harbor reservations, leading to disengagement down the line.
Avoidance of Accountability: Without clear expectations, people sidestep holding each other accountable. Silent disagreements about responsibilities and standards lead to missed deadlines and subpar outcomes.
Inattention to Results: Lost in a fog of unresolved tensions, teams prioritize individual goals over the collective mission. This reinforces the notion that open debate is pointless and leads to further dysfunction.
Dangers of Silent Disagreements
Resentment and Frustration: When issues go unaddressed, they fester, breeding resentment and eroding morale.
Misalignment and Confusion: Lack of open discussion leads to individuals working at cross-purposes, poor decision-making, and misunderstandings.
Wasted Time and Effort: Projects stall or derail due to hidden disagreements surfacing later, requiring backtracking and rework.
Stifled Innovation: Diverse perspectives and potential breakthroughs are stifled when people fear voicing their opinions.
Amazon's "Disagree and Commit" Principle: A Solution?
Amazon is renowned for its leadership principles, one of which is "Disagree and Commit." It encapsulates the idea that teams should have vigorous debates, but once a decision is reached, everyone should commit fully, regardless of whether they fully agreed with the final outcome. This principle aims to strike a balance between open debate and decisive action. Read more on my blog here.
While "Disagree and Commit" has merits, it's important to note:
Commitment without Understanding is Fragile: True commitment happens when people feel their views were genuinely considered. If not, they might outwardly comply, but inner resistance remains.
Doesn't Solve the Root Fear: This principle doesn't address the core fear that prevents healthy conflict in the first place.
Intentions vs. Mechanisms: A Path Forward
To create a team culture where healthy conflict thrives, leaders need to go beyond principles and focus on the underlying intentions and the practical mechanisms that support them.
Intentions:
Psychological Safety: Foster an environment where people feel safe to speak up, challenge ideas, and even admit mistakes without fear of retribution.
Value of Dissent: Emphasize that diverse perspectives are essential for strong decision-making and innovation.
Embrace Discomfort: Frame conflict as a necessary and productive part of growth.
Mechanisms:
Structured Debate: Use frameworks for respectful disagreement (e.g., designate a "devil's advocate").
Active Facilitation: Ensure all voices are heard, prevent one person from dominating, and draw out quieter members.
Record Tradeoffs: Explicitly document the potential drawbacks considered along with chosen decisions.
Execution Commit
In the autumn of 2017, Cisco's acquisition of Springpath opened the door to vast opportunities, including global market access, access to a world-class sales force, the ability to offer integrated solutions, and a wider talent pool. However, this transition also introduced several challenges, notably in aligning our culture and adapting to new processes. These changes highlighted underlying differences in perspective between the product and engineering teams, particularly around what could feasibly be achieved with the available resources and within the given timelines. In the face of these challenges, we employed a mechanism of Execution Commit—a process where leads from both product and engineering teams would come together and ceremoniously commit to delivering a product with certain capabilities within a specific timeframe. This process was pivotal for several reasons.
Key Benefits
Forced Clarity and Consensus: The Execution Commit process demanded open discussion and explicit agreement on scope, feasibility, and timelines. This dispelled ambiguity and lingering doubts, minimizing future misalignments.
Accountability and Shared Ownership: By publicly committing, both product and engineering leads took equal ownership of the project's success. This fostered a sense of "we're in this together" and reduced the blame game associated with silent disagreements.
Aligned Expectations: The commitment ceremony made expectations transparent, ensuring everyone was on the same page. This helped manage stakeholder expectations and made it easier to address deviations from the plan in a timely and proactive manner.
Challenges and Refinements
Realism vs. Ambition: Calibrating the Execution Commit required balancing ambitious goals with realistic assessment. Discuss how you navigated this tension and if any iterations were needed to make commitments achievable.
Adaptability: Unexpected roadblocks are inevitable. Explain how the Execution Commit process factored in flexibility to re-evaluate commitments or pivot when external circumstances changed.
Follow-Through: Maintaining commitment integrity was crucial. Share some accountability mechanisms or checkpoints you had in place to ensure both product and engineering lived up to the agreed-upon plan.
This experience at Cisco underscored the effectiveness of fostering a culture of commitment and collaboration. It highlighted that when teams unite under a shared goal, acknowledging each other's concerns and commitments, they can overcome substantial challenges and achieve remarkable outcomes.
Conclusion
Silent disagreements are the termites of teamwork. Leaders must address the root causes of this dysfunction and create spaces where constructive conflict is welcomed. By embracing the intentions behind disagreement and implementing practical mechanisms for healthy debate, teams unlock their true potential for innovation, collaboration, and outstanding results. Remember, a little healthy conflict today can prevent major breakdowns tomorrow. Is your team ready to embrace the power of mechnisms?
~10xManager