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Why Great Leaders Don't Take Yes for an Answer: Managing for Conflict and Consensus by Michael A. Roberto
Harvard Business School's Michael Roberto draws on powerful decision-making case studies from every walk of life, showing how to promote honest, constructive dissent and skepticism; use it to improve decisions; and align organizations behind those decisions. Learn from disasters like the Space Shuttle Columbia and JFK's Bay of Pigs Invasion, from successes like Sid Caesar and Bill Parcells, from George W. Bush's decision-making after 9/11. Roberto complements his compelling case studies with extensive new research on executive decisionmaking. Discover how to test and probe a management team; when 'yes' means 'yes' and when it doesn't; and how to build real consensus that leads to action. Gain important new insights into managing teams, mitigating risk, promoting corporate ethics, and much more.
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First published June 6, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 23, 2016
Subtitled “Managing for Conflict and Consensus,” this book reads like a product out of the Wharton School, but is well worth wading through. Replete with real life examples and quotes from business leaders from a wide range of industries and organizations, the book is divided into four parts. Part One, Leading the Decision Process, deals with the challenge of leadership by exploding the “myths” behind leading without dissent. The author continues by discussing the concept of “deciding how to decide,” contrasting, for example, the decisions by the Kennedy administration during the Bay of Pigs debacle and the success of the Cuban Missile Crisis. In essence, Kennedy completely reworked the way decisions were made between the two events. Roberto shows how four specific factors need to be considered in designing the decision process - Composition (who should be involved), Communication (what is the means of dialogue), Context (in what type of environment should the decision take place) and Control (how will the leader control the process and content).
Part Two of the book describes Managing Conflict in detail, using examples to show the importance of candor, how to stimulate the clash of ideas as well as demonstrating techniques to ensure that the conflict is constructive, focusing on seeking the best solutions rather than “affective” (merely a clash of personalities, each seeking to win out over the other).
Part Three, Building Consensus, dissects the indecision process to show how it often is a direct result of the culture that prevents consensus from ever taking place (a culture of no - the decision has already been made, a culture of yes - we pretend to agree, then seek to undermine the decision, or a culture of maybe - we’re almost ready to decide, just need a little more information). Roberto completes this section by describing what is a “fair and legitimate” decision-making process as well as focusing on how to reach and sustain closure.
Finally, Part Four speaks of a New Breed of Take-Charge Leader that practices these techniques to promote the best decisions through “leading by restraint.” To quote leadership scholar Ronald Heifetz, “In a crisis, we tend to look for the wrong kind of leadership. We call for someone with the answers, decision, strength, and a map of the future, someone who know where we ought to be going -- in short, someone who can make hard problems simple...Instead of looking for saviors, we should be calling for leadership that will challenge use to face problems for which there are no simple, painless solutions -- problems that require us to learn in new ways.”
Part Two of the book describes Managing Conflict in detail, using examples to show the importance of candor, how to stimulate the clash of ideas as well as demonstrating techniques to ensure that the conflict is constructive, focusing on seeking the best solutions rather than “affective” (merely a clash of personalities, each seeking to win out over the other).
Part Three, Building Consensus, dissects the indecision process to show how it often is a direct result of the culture that prevents consensus from ever taking place (a culture of no - the decision has already been made, a culture of yes - we pretend to agree, then seek to undermine the decision, or a culture of maybe - we’re almost ready to decide, just need a little more information). Roberto completes this section by describing what is a “fair and legitimate” decision-making process as well as focusing on how to reach and sustain closure.
Finally, Part Four speaks of a New Breed of Take-Charge Leader that practices these techniques to promote the best decisions through “leading by restraint.” To quote leadership scholar Ronald Heifetz, “In a crisis, we tend to look for the wrong kind of leadership. We call for someone with the answers, decision, strength, and a map of the future, someone who know where we ought to be going -- in short, someone who can make hard problems simple...Instead of looking for saviors, we should be calling for leadership that will challenge use to face problems for which there are no simple, painless solutions -- problems that require us to learn in new ways.”
September 11, 2021
An absolute must for everyone in decision making roles. I read this whilst working in an HQ riven with chaos and poor morale, it helped explained a lot, helps you ‘see the matrix’ of decision making cause snd effect.
August 26, 2017
Mainly about conflict managment and how fear of speaking up and lack of diversity can ruin a company.
March 20, 2024
It is a very poor book in delivering the message.
July 25, 2008
Why Great Leaders Don’t Take Yes for an Answer: Managing for Conflict and Consensus
Michael A. Roberto
Wharton School Publishing
Roberto carefully organizes his material within four Parts. In Chapters 1 and 2, he provides "a conceptual framework for thinking about how to diagnose, evaluate, and improve strategic decision-making processes. Then in Chapters 3-5, Roberto focuses on the task of managing conflict (e.g. factors that can inhibit candid dialogue and debate). Next, in Chapters 6-8, he concentrates on how managers can "create consensus within their organizations without compromising the level of divergent and creative thinking." In Part IV (Chapter 9), Roberto shares his thoughts about how this book's philosophy of leadership and decision-making differs from conventional views held by many managers. "Specifically, I distinguish between two different approaches to `taking charge' when confronted with a difficult decision." He devotes an entire chapter to differentiating between the two approaches.
Throughout Roberto's lively narrative, there is a strong recurring theme: "leaders must strive for a delicate balance of assertiveness and restraint." One challenge is to be able to do either effectively. Another, greater challenge is to know when each approach should be taken. In this context, Roberto has much of value to say about great leaders as great teachers: "They prepare to decide just as teachers prepare to teach. They have a plan, but they adapt as the decision-making process unfolds. Great leaders do not have all the answers, but they remain firmly in control of the process through which their organizations discover the best answers to the toughest problems."
As Roberto well realizes, there are specific reasons why Dante reserves the last (and worst) ring in hell for those who, in a moral crisis, preserve their neutrality. Some decisions require courage, others require judgment, still others must be made quickly and often with insufficient information. How and why are great leaders able to make such decisions, either alone or in consultation with others? In essence, that is what Roberto's book is really all about.
Michael A. Roberto
Wharton School Publishing
Roberto carefully organizes his material within four Parts. In Chapters 1 and 2, he provides "a conceptual framework for thinking about how to diagnose, evaluate, and improve strategic decision-making processes. Then in Chapters 3-5, Roberto focuses on the task of managing conflict (e.g. factors that can inhibit candid dialogue and debate). Next, in Chapters 6-8, he concentrates on how managers can "create consensus within their organizations without compromising the level of divergent and creative thinking." In Part IV (Chapter 9), Roberto shares his thoughts about how this book's philosophy of leadership and decision-making differs from conventional views held by many managers. "Specifically, I distinguish between two different approaches to `taking charge' when confronted with a difficult decision." He devotes an entire chapter to differentiating between the two approaches.
Throughout Roberto's lively narrative, there is a strong recurring theme: "leaders must strive for a delicate balance of assertiveness and restraint." One challenge is to be able to do either effectively. Another, greater challenge is to know when each approach should be taken. In this context, Roberto has much of value to say about great leaders as great teachers: "They prepare to decide just as teachers prepare to teach. They have a plan, but they adapt as the decision-making process unfolds. Great leaders do not have all the answers, but they remain firmly in control of the process through which their organizations discover the best answers to the toughest problems."
As Roberto well realizes, there are specific reasons why Dante reserves the last (and worst) ring in hell for those who, in a moral crisis, preserve their neutrality. Some decisions require courage, others require judgment, still others must be made quickly and often with insufficient information. How and why are great leaders able to make such decisions, either alone or in consultation with others? In essence, that is what Roberto's book is really all about.
June 10, 2018
This isn't exactly a self-help book, but it is wise counsel concerning good leadership and the promotion of an atmosphere of trust amid the neverending quest for the best information and advice from colleagues and, especially, subordinates. Stow Lovejoy is an excellent narrator, but I liked the content so much I bought the hardback version as well.
As usual for Harvard Business School, the author analyzes numerous case studies from Presidents to football coaches, from the business world to academia. Anyone in a leadership position will very likely benefit from pondering the dynamics of decision-making described in this book.
As usual for Harvard Business School, the author analyzes numerous case studies from Presidents to football coaches, from the business world to academia. Anyone in a leadership position will very likely benefit from pondering the dynamics of decision-making described in this book.
August 4, 2014
Desde Leader Summaries recomendamos la lectura del libro El �sí� no es suficiente, de Michael A. Roberto.
Las personas interesadas en las siguientes temáticas lo encontrarán práctico y útil: habilidades directivas, analizar y tomar decisiones, dirigir reuniones eficaces.
En el siguiente enlace tienes el resumen del libro El �sí� no es suficiente, Una guía para dirigir el proceso de toma de decisiones en una organización: El �sí� no es suficiente
Las personas interesadas en las siguientes temáticas lo encontrarán práctico y útil: habilidades directivas, analizar y tomar decisiones, dirigir reuniones eficaces.
En el siguiente enlace tienes el resumen del libro El �sí� no es suficiente, Una guía para dirigir el proceso de toma de decisiones en una organización: El �sí� no es suficiente
July 28, 2013
As a new manager in a R&D company, I found the ideas presented here to be insightful and straightforward. I have already started to experiment with some techniques outlined here on my own team. For instance, the Eisenhower approach of converging to agreement through series of small gains is a simple idea that has been very useful for me. I highly recommend this to anyone that works in a field where a battle of ideas can not (or should not) be avoided.
July 28, 2014
Decisions are often made so quickly that we never consider the process. It's a slow read, but a good read. Really makes you think the next time you sit in a meeting where a decision has to be made; you begin to read others body language and how they react, the questions that are asked, and how the final decision comes about. How does your company make decisions?
February 2, 2008
An excellent read from a wicked smart guy. A Roberto in every organization would guide many outstanding decisions.
June 2, 2010
Kereen...bagus bgt bwt leadership...yg melawan arus menuju pada brightest idea...Let's more often say No, I have a better idea...
want-to-read-more-if
April 19, 2016Maybe there's a time for yes, and. And maybe there's a time to look for who's in the no.
I am looking forward to reading this. It reminds me, conceptually, of the book A Complaint Is a Gift.
I am looking forward to reading this. It reminds me, conceptually, of the book A Complaint Is a Gift.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews