Many people shy away from debate and expressing differing opinions. One significant reason is the fear of conflict and the potential for heated arguments, which can be emotionally draining and stressful. Additionally, in the act of disagreeing, we know we may face social ostracism or backlash, and no-one wants to mess with “cancel culture.” Our cognitive biases also play a role; when people encounter opinions that challenge their deeply held beliefs, our brains often resist these ideas, making it difficult to concentrate engage constructively. This combination of emotional, social, and cognitive factors creates a challenging environment for open and honest debate.
Critical thinking and creativity are skills often sought after in corporate environments. At school, in politics, in law courts, academia, public forums, community outreach, in media, online and at the dinner table debates are common occurrences. They play a crucial role in educating our thought processes by encouraging us to analyse complex issues from multiple perspectives.
Engaging in debates helps participants develop their ability to evaluate arguments, identify logical fallacies, and construct well-reasoned viewpoints. This process not only sharpens logical reasoning skills but also promotes open-mindedness and empathy through necessitating the consideration of diverse perspectives.
Where it can be difficult to come by original inspiration at times, debates can stimulate creativity by challenging us to think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions to problems.
The dynamic and interactive nature of debates makes them an effective tool for enhancing both critical thinking and creative problem-solving abilities.
Why We Don't Use Debates More in Corporate Settings
At school debating was taught as an exercise in clear thinking, structure and preparation. Students could go on to participate in debating teams and enter competitions during their school years. Unless students pursued careers in local politics or academia, they likely never had the opportunity to use their debating skills again after high school.
A common misconception about debates is that they are inherently confrontational rather than constructive. This belief may stem from the portrayal of debates in media, where heated exchanges and personal attacks are emphasised for dramatic effect. However, when conducted properly, debates are designed to be a platform for respectful dialogue and intellectual exchange. The goal is not to “win” by overpowering the opponent, but to explore different viewpoints and reach a deeper understanding of the topic at hand.
Effective debates encourage participants to listen actively, acknowledge valid points made by others, and build on these ideas to develop more nuanced arguments.
By focusing on the issues rather than the individuals, debates can foster a collaborative environment where diverse perspectives are valued and constructive solutions are sought.
Adopting debate formats in corporate settings faces several barriers. One significant challenge is lack of familiarity and training. Many employees may not be well-versed in the specific rules and structures of debating, leading to reluctance in adoption. Additionally, time constraints can hinder the integration of debate formats into research time, meetings or team activities, as they require dedicated preparation and practice.
Resource limitations, such as access to experienced coaches or appropriate materials, also pose a barrier. Further, there can be resistance to change from traditional brainstorming methods to more interactive and dynamic debate formats. Overcoming these barriers involves providing comprehensive training, allocating sufficient time and resources, and fostering an environment open to innovative team practices.
Incorporating Debates in Corporate Problem Solving
In a large government program, a decision board was established to steer the team in functional design choices for a system that would manage core operations. There were two clear points of view: that of the vendor who often maintained design options that were close to their existing product or roadmap; and that of the future users who imagined an endless wish list and went after it.
In designing the decision forum, I proposed a structured debate in order to present the positions succinctly to the independent arbiters. Despite this being a solution with a strong fit to the nature of the information to be presented, it was not adopted. The forum instead opted for a traditional meeting format because it was more familiar. Naturally this resulted in the familiar outcomes we've seen in past solution design forums. Disagreements were not fully aired, decisions were made without full access to the most important facts, views and opinions of each side, and the decisions that resulted were often critiqued afterwards by both parties.
Selling the idea
Because the idea did not gain traction in this case, we don't know whether it would have resulted in efficient, informative and clear exchange of information and ideas. I suspect at the very least a debate format would have resulted in strong preparation from both sides. If you'd like to try selling the idea to your organisation, here's some steps you can take:
Step 1: Setting the Stage
It's important to establish clear objectives and guidelines. Debate topics need to be appropriate. In a corporate setting, there will be topics that emerge naturally such as key decisions, choices between vendors, or exploring opposing views on how to implement agreed strategy.
Step 2: Forming Teams
On both sides of the debate, teams need to include diversity and balance. Consider mixing the debate teams if there are already 'sides' forming. In our example, it would be ideal to mix the vendor representatives and the user representatives within the debate teams. It is invaluable for both teams to have access to differing perspectives in problem-solving and planning their best argument.
Step 3: Preparing for the Debate
Teams need to conduct research about the issue, gathering relevant data to support their views and curate their comments to the most effective arguments. In A significant feature of debate are the structured arguments and rebuttals which teams must prepare in advance, and also be 'immersed enough' in their subject matter to handle surprises on the day.
Step 4: Hosting the Debate
Agree the ground rules for debate with all parties. There needs to be a moderator to manage the process of debate, will this be the same as the decision maker? How firmly will the rules be applied during facilitation? Above all, the process and participants need to prioritise fostering a respectful and inclusive discussion environment.
Step 5: Extracting Insights
While the format of a debate may initially appear to drive a win/loss experience, this is not really the case. After hearing opposing views, a decision should be made, but this decision will be the strongest decision available, from the best presented information available at the time. Should the decision need to be revisited, the debate format can be reapplied and new information can be considered. By analysing debate outcomes, teams can derive rich actionable insights about their sources of data, the team processes that lead to their recommendations and their ability to think with empathy about the alternative points of view.
Step 6: Implement the Solutions
The efficient exchange of information made possible by the debate format must result in implementing the solutions derived from debates. If implementation does not follow debate, then it may just become another way of 'admiring the problem' and may be seen as an unreliable, waste of effort by the teams presenting their arguments.
Implementing Radical Ideas
Debates are under utilised in corporate settings due to some of the cultural and structural barriers discussed above. Many organisations prioritise consensus and harmony and mistakenly believe debates to be permanently divisive. Fears that debates might lead to conflicts and disrupt team cohesion make it challenging to introduce debating as a problem-solving tool.
Additionally, there is often a lack of training and familiarity with formal debate formats, which would be required for employees to engage effectively. Time constraints and the fast-paced nature of corporate environments may discourage the adoption of debate practices, as they require dedicated time for preparation and execution.
However, incorporating debates into corporate problem-solving can foster critical thinking, diverse perspectives, innovative solutions and promote highly ethical, transparent, efficient decision-making. By encouraging structured debates, companies can create a culture of open dialogue and rigorous analysis, ultimately leading to more robust decision-making processes.
To explore how to implement radical ideas in your organisation, book us in for an initial discussion.
Educational, straightforward, informative. I enjoyed reading your article. Have a great week.