Developing Good Ideas in the Right Culture

It is no surprise that in an era of social media and constant public performance, many employees face issues of insecurity. In the workplace, this issue is most frequently observed in the fear of being wrong. One common example is found in an employee’s inability to speak up in meetings or to share their opinion with colleagues or supervisors. Another can be located on the opposite end of the spectrum: the desire for an employee to convince others that their ideas are 100% correct. Both examples function from a place of insecurity—or the fear of being wrong.

It goes without saying that good ideas are important for any business: innovation and productivity are driven by these sorts of innovation. However, as we have observed, an organizational fear of being wrong can often stop innovation in its tracks. But perhaps counterintuitively, addressing this issue does not start with employees but rather with employers. Employers must be willing to accept the inevitability of failure and the role it plays in organizational growth and development. Furthermore, organizations that foster a growth-mindset culture are often the ones that succeed. As Chris Coldwell points out, every success is followed by a slew of mistakes. Never forget that Edison failed somewhere around 2,000 times, for example, while attempting to discover the carbon filament for lightbulbs.

So how do organizations build cultures where failure is recognized as a tool and not an outcome? It begins with dialectical thinking. Dialectical thinking is a powerful method that employees and their organizations can utilize to make failure work for them instead of against them. Dialectical thinking is predicated on recognizing contradictions, then using them to generate new ideas and perspectives. By examining the opposing forces in any given situation and considering multiple viewpoints, new solutions and approaches can be identified and implemented. Failure, therefore, can be reframed as an opportunity for growth; shortcomings are the catalyst for change, innovation and improvement.

Dialectical thinking also helps overcome another common workplace insecurity: the tendency to imitate the behavior and strategies of coworkers or competitors. This tendency is a major theme in the work of the French philosopher, Renѐ Girard, and his student, entrepreneur Peter Thiel, has detailed the way this dynamic plays itself out in business. According to Thiel, imitation is a useful learning tool; however, it also leads to increased competition and conflict, thereby limiting creativity and innovation. In a fast-paced business environment, there is an immense pressure to imitate successful strategies or products, which can lead to a lack of originality and increase the likelihood that nothing new is produced. Although imitation is not traditionally viewed as a workplace insecurity, it can be guarded against by empowering employees to develop their own unique approaches and solutions through dialectical thinking.

To conclude, by recognizing the power of contradiction, individuals can challenge established norms and explore new ideas and perspectives. Dialectical thinking encourages employees to engage in critical reflection and consider multiple viewpoints, rather than simply imitating what has worked in the past. Not only does this help defend against the harmful effects of imitation, but it also works to foster a culture of creativity and collaboration. This provides a valuable counterbalance to imitation and helps individuals and organizations achieve greater success and growth. And with this growth-mindset culture, your organization can combat against employee insecurity and build a lasting business practice.