HBR Guide to Critical Thinking

CHAPTER 14 Disagreement Doesn’t Have to Be Divisive

by Francesca Gino

A well-functioning organization, like a well-functioning society, requires employees and leaders alike to have productive conversations, even in the face of different views and opinions—in fact, especially in the face of such differences.

Today, this is easier said than done. On social media and in real life, we regularly find ourselves engaging with people whose core beliefs and values seem to clash with our own. Disagreements about whether safety mandates are needed or who should have won a recent election too often degenerate into heated arguments.

Rather than engaging in potentially difficult or uncomfortable conversations, many of us try to avoid them altogether. ...