Dare to Disagree- Power of A Good Fight

I once had a senior boss who arrived on the job and handed out the Harvard Business Review Article,  "How Management Teams Can Have a Good Fight" and then he proceeded to marginalize anyone who disagreed with him, even if it was in a one-on-one discussion.  Learning from Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, there was definitely an absence of trust.

Conflict is so important to an organization, yet it is viewed as a negative.  Differences create rich discussions and produce better outcomes.  Having conflict requires patience and energy but a good, clean debate or discussion leaves you with confidence in the outcomes and as a manager, you get the best out of your people.

How do we develop the skills:

Don't fear conflict, fear silence
Practice standing up to authority
Assume others have the same doubts
Voice concerns
Teach this early and often

http://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_dare_to_disagree.html