Alys O’Neill, global consulting director at culture change consultancy United Culture, makes a case for the importance of diverse opinion, and healthy disagreement, at work.

In a year when half the global population is going to the polls, and the world feels more politically polarised than ever, the term ‘healthy debate’ has begun to lose meaning.

Despite being encouraged to bring their ‘whole selves’ to work (which might or might not be okay), many people still don’t feel empowered to speak freely.

A business’s ability to innovate will be severely hindered without healthy challenge and discourse. 

For example, many are fearful of giving constructive feedback because of the risk of potential misunderstandings and negative ramifications.

This throws the role of internal comms into sharp focus – in fostering a safe environment where healthy debate is not only permitted, but actively encouraged.

More than just communication

Internal comms exists to engage people in the purpose, values and strategies of an organisation.  Communicating is one thing, but genuinely engaging people and driving debate and conversation can take comms from just being about creating awareness and understanding to action. 

Creating open conversations about where an organisation is going can help both to generate psychological safety – because people can see this is a place where their voice will be heard – and to build ownership among the workforce because they know they’ve helped contribute to that strategy.

After all, execution isn’t ownership and businesses that want people to take responsibility also need them to feel involved.

A foundation of willingness to host the debate also means that people will be more willing to share uncomfortable truths. They can shine a spotlight on things in the organisation that aren’t right.

Give leaders the right tools

Leaders need to understand the value of debate. Notably, they need to know how to participate constructively and effectively in those conversations, especially if this involves holding a mirror up to the management team and dealing with difficult feedback.

That means making it really clear what will or won’t be tolerated within the context of that discourse, and dealing with any breaches swiftly and firmly. And, of course, don’t make it personal – keep things very focused on work and what impacts that work.

Most senior leadership understand the value inherent in divergent views – of building a culture of trust where difference is celebrated and invited to contribute. Done well, it provides context to what you are doing as a business and why – providing a truly balanced platform for discourse.

It’s also important for internal comms to work with leadership teams to show healthy debate in practice – on all topics and even if it feels uncomfortable. That includes in different environments such as meetings and town hall sessions as well as one-on-one scenarios. If the fundamentals aren’t being met, it’s impossible to engage at a deeper level and leaders might not seem sincere.

And it’s not just the SLT. Internal comms teams can help train line managers to manage differing viewpoints as well. After all, facilitating a debate takes expertise, and doing it respectfully and well needs the right skillsets.

The changing face of communication

This is the sort of challenge that can help elevate internal comms above the transactional and into the strategic, transforming the entire company culture.

The key is to outline the decision-making process – so when debates happen, the business is clear on how the arguments will be assessed and who will make the final call on the next steps if appropriate.  Then when decisions are made, be clear on what informed them.

And if curiosity is a core value, people will know that asking questions is expected, embraced and the norm.  This plays an important role in building a forum for healthy debate – and internal comms plays a vital role in laying the groundwork.