The Best Collaborators Love to prove you Wrong

The Best Collaborators Love to prove you Wrong
Regardless of what you're pursuing, if you only listen to people who praise you, you probably won't get very far.
It might not be pleasant, but sometimes you need a bit of criticism to help you grow.
This was illustrated in a pivotal experiment by psychologist @CharlanNemeth .
Groups of participants were asked to hire one of three possible job candidates.
The first candidate, John, was presented as having the best skillset for the job.
Even so, some of the participants showed a preference for the less qualified candidate, Ringo.
But when some participants argued in favor of the third candidate, George, the chance that the participants would end up hiring the best-qualified candidate quadrupled.
How can we make sense of this?
By throwing a minority opinion into the mix that differs from the two leading views, the consensus is disrupted.
Group members are then pushed to assess the situation for themselves and not simply follow what others are thinking.
This is a great strategy to break up groupthink and encourage everyone to share their real opinions.
Groupthink occurs when people organized in groups prioritize avoiding conflict and reaching consensus over making the best choice possible.
This concept, developed by Yale research psychologist @LesterIrvingJanis , is the underlying problem in poor team decision making.
Another way to prevent groupthink hindering your own creativity is to surround yourself with people who constantly question your ideas.
This was the strategy used by @BenKohlmann , a founding member of the Chief of Naval Operations' Rapid Innovation Cell (CRIC), when his team began to work on innovative ideas for the navy.
They succeeded in creating a whole range of creative solutions and were even the first to bring a 3D printer on a ship to print spare parts in case something broke while at sea.
This creativity wouldn't have been possible without the powerful group dynamic that emerged as a result of Kohlmann's calculated decision making.
He chose junior officers with a track record of facing discipline as a result of challenging authority.
Though these officers all had their own backgrounds and objectives, uniting their disruptive mindset with a common goal created the perfect environment for creativity.
Show more

The Best Collaborators Love to prove you Wrong Regardless of what you're pursuing, if you only listen to people who praise you, you probably won't get very far. It might not be pleasant, but sometimes you need a bit of criticism to help you grow. This was illustrated in a pivotal experiment by psychologist @CharlanNemeth . Groups of participants were asked to hire one of three possible job candidates. The first candidate, John, was presented as having the best skillset for the job. Even so, some of the participants showed a preference for the less qualified candidate, Ringo. But when some participants argued in favor of the third candidate, George, the chance that the participants would end up hiring the best-qualified candidate quadrupled. How can we make sense of this? By throwing a minority opinion into the mix that differs from the two leading views, the consensus is disrupted. Group members are then pushed to assess the situation for themselves and not simply follow what others are thinking. This is a great strategy to break up groupthink and encourage everyone to share their real opinions. Groupthink occurs when people organized in groups prioritize avoiding conflict and reaching consensus over making the best choice possible. This concept, developed by Yale research psychologist @LesterIrvingJanis , is the underlying problem in poor team decision making. Another way to prevent groupthink hindering your own creativity is to surround yourself with people who constantly question your ideas. This was the strategy used by @BenKohlmann , a founding member of the Chief of Naval Operations' Rapid Innovation Cell (CRIC), when his team began to work on innovative ideas for the navy. They succeeded in creating a whole range of creative solutions and were even the first to bring a 3D printer on a ship to print spare parts in case something broke while at sea. This creativity wouldn't have been possible without the powerful group dynamic that emerged as a result of Kohlmann's calculated decision making. He chose junior officers with a track record of facing discipline as a result of challenging authority. Though these officers all had their own backgrounds and objectives, uniting their disruptive mindset with a common goal created the perfect environment for creativity.