Great teams aren’t just about finding common ground…

Common ground can help create unity and trust, and it can help lubricate collaboration.

But common ground can also be a trap, it can reduce our willingness to discuss different perspectives. It can make us insular and cause us to reject good ideas that are not our own.

A good example was IBM back in the early 90’s they became quite arrogant, even having a mocking phrase for outside ideas: “Not invented here.”

The same could happen to you, the lure of ignorance exists in all organisations.

For most, it’s always easier to discuss common beliefs rather than controversial or contrary views.

Sometimes though, it’s just better to argue it out.

There’ll be tension, it might get a little messy, and it’s likely they’ll be misunderstandings.

It might even feel dysfunctional.

But sometimes you just need to get people together, urge them to speak up, and convince them to face their disagreements, as we do in our office technology business.

You’ve got to encourage these difficult conversations, as in the end, they’ll sharpen the company and result in better products and service for customers.

…this is the true sign of great teams.