One of the major challenges that business has is in finding employees who are willing to think for themselves.  Encouraging people to ask questions is one approach that helps people think for themselves.    

There are many downsides to having people think for themselves…

Questions make people uncomfortable.

People may feel like they are being put on the spot.

The ideas that arise may be unpopular or unconventional.

Rationale, cohesive arguments may be required of the people who wish to persuade others.

The 20-second sound bites, appeals to emotion, and blind adherence to instructions would be avoided.

People might have to admit that they are uncertain about the issues and they might have to listen to each other.

There could be conflict.

Despite those downsides, the upside potential is far greater.  In education, business, and government, people would have more value for they would actually be diverse in the ways that matter most:

Their ideas, opinions, thoughts, and approaches

Their motivations, goals, and definition of success

Fundamentally, this is the business case for diversity.  In the US, people from different backgrounds think differently.  In other countries, people often think the same way, regardless of their backgrounds.  

Is the idea of people thinking for themselves too scary?  If so, perhaps we should continue standardizing our approaches, requiring people to follow strict policies, and doing the thinking for others.  What do you think?

Filed by Coleen Davis at 12:14 pm under Business Trends, Cultural Issues, Solving Problems