>"I increasingly find that the best companies/organizations are simply those groups that now how to argue well." While I agree with this point, I think it is o

>"I increasingly find that the best companies/organizations are simply those groups that now how to argue well." While I agree with this point, I think it is only one piece of the puzzle. In order to have productive "arguments" it is important to also make sure you provide an environment conducive to it. That means finding ways to eliminate concerns one might have with "arguing against a boss or executive's point" due to fear of risking their job, or simply being steamrolled due to rank. Cultures that place a strong emphasis on building consensus can also breed situations where people don't speak against someone because they are playing things politically and need that person's support for their own pet project and don't want to risk giving up that capital just to voice a contrarian opinion. Beyond that, it also takes the right temperament of people in the room. I've worked with some people that I can only classify as "overly-sensitive." They are very passive-aggressive people, and read into any random negative thing they hear as a personal attack against them. There's simply no effective way to have a constructive debate with people like that in my experience. But I do agree that this sort of "bare it all" dialogue is critical to moving things forward. The real question I have is how to transform an organization or team to that state in as painless a way as possible.