“Exemplary leaders reward dissent. They encourage it.” ~Warren Bennis

It’s a steamy July afternoon, and Jerry Harvey and his family are playing dominoes on their porch in Coleman, Texas. The temperature is 104 degrees. An electric fan and a pitcher of cold lemonade are the only things making the heat bearable for Jerry, his wife, and his wife’s parents. Out of the blue, Jerry’s father-in-law suggests that the group hop into the car and drive to Abilene for dinner.

Privately, all four people dislike the idea. Abilene is 53 miles away—assuming you take the barren desert road—and, in the late 1950s, air-conditioned cars are uncommon. But afraid of disappointing the others, each person declares it a wonderful suggestion. Four hours later, the sweaty, dusty, and grumpy travelers arrive back home.

One by one, the family members grouse that they did not enjoy the outing. The temperature in the car was insufferable, and the restaurant’s food was awful. They only made the journey, each person finally confesses, because they believed the others all wanted to go. In other words, no one wanted to be the lone dissenter.

Today, Jerry Harvey is Professor Emeritus of Management Science at George Washington University. He has long used this anecdote to explain a workplace phenomenon in which a group of people reaches an agreement that the individual team members secretly think is a bad idea. Harvey calls this absurdity the Abilene Paradox.

Mismanaged Agreement

Perhaps you’ve experienced your own metaphorical trip to Abilene in your role as a leader. You present an idea to your employees for discussion and they publicly support it. However, in private, those same employees have serious reservations about the initiative. But because no one speaks up, the group sets off on the road to disappointment.

The inability to manage agreement is a significant source of team dysfunction. To be an effective group member, you need to make your feelings known. Ignore the urge to conform and voice any concerns you have. Hey, shouldn’t we restore the company to profitability—and pay back the government loan—before we accept bonuses?

And to be an effective group leader, you must create an environment where your team members can safely express their objections. Most leaders don’t like having their ideas second-guessed.

But to be successful, leaders need feedback. Those employees who openly disagree often bring forth better ideas—or warnings about overlooked problems.

But as Harvey’s story reminds us, your employees will hesitate to convey their objections. Therefore, you’ll need to encourage them. Who will give me one good reason why this might be a bad idea?

A midsummer ride to Abilene might be more pleasant today than it was fifty years ago, what with air conditioning and cruise control. But those luxuries can’t change the fact that our silence will lead us to an undesirable destination.

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George Brymer is author of Vital Integrities and the creator of The Leading from the Heart Workshop®.
He can be reached at [email protected]

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