Do Business Well

In any group of employees, you’re bound to find some who don’t hesitate to speak their minds, even when their opinions conflict with company policy.

This is not inherently good or bad. But you need to learn to distinguish between well-intentioned objections, which contain valid insights, and ill-meant dissent, which tends only to stir up conflict. You must find a place for the former and authority to defuse the latter. Some suggestions:

• Look for patterns. Not everyone who states a divergent viewpoint is trying to cause trouble. “Employees tend to build histories of conduct based on consistent intentions,” “When someone establishes a track record for taking issue with company policy, that record usually shows a pattern in the way it is expressed. It is not difficult to detect the person’s intent through the mode of expression.”

If you see that a person tends to come down hard and strong on company policy, but offers reasonable alternatives and avoids personal attacks, it will be clear that the intent was positive. But if someone repeatedly creates animosity by lying, harassing and accusing, it will become obvious that the intent is not to help the organization but only to achieve personal gain.

The only effective way to deal with this kind of person, says Kilmann, is to issue a strong statement warning the employee that such behavior will not be tolerated.

• Steer employees‘ objections to the appropriate time and place. Certain corporate cultures frown on dissent, however constructive. This need not prevent you from encouraging it within your unit. Just be sure that employees know when and where to speak up. “Impress on your people the importance of presenting a united front outside of your department,” advises Kilmann. “Rather than telling them to suppress their opinions, explain that it could damage the unit if certain outsiders were to perceive disagreement within your group.”

Help your people to recognize those who value dissent and those who see all disagreement as destructive. This will help them to develop the sophistication to complain constructively to the right people.

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