Managers must pay close attention to how they balance competing pressures in their organisations, and how their words and actions shape the perceptions and beliefs of organisation members and wider stakeholders.
Managers need to engage in a delicate balancing act with regard to nurturing confidence, dissent, and commitment within and beyond their organisations to key stakeholders – which may include the public (either as customers or voters).
Fostering constructive dissent is important.Insufficient debate among team members can diminish the extent to which plans and proposals undergo critical evaluation. Flawed ideas remain unchallenged, and creative alternatives are not generated.
On the other hand, when managers arrive at a final decision, they need everyone to accept the outcome and support its implementation. They cannot allow continued dissension to disrupt the effort to turn that decision into action. Managers must balance the need for "diversity in counsel, unity in command."To accomplish this, managers must insure that each participant has a fair and equal opportunity to voice their opinions during the decision process, and they must demonstrate that they have considered those views carefully and genuinely. Moreover, they must clearly explain the rationale for their final decision, including why they chose to accept some input and advice while rejecting other suggestions. By doing so, managers can encourage divergent thinking while building decision acceptance.
This is precisely what GD does with public opinion consultation!
