The art of confrontation: This isn’t about workplace conflict but goal-oriented collaboration if done right

If there were an upskilling programme in the ‘Art of Confrontation,’ India Inc would benefit more from it than from many of the dime-a-dozen workshops that are held to raise work productivity. A knack for judicious confrontation is rare, as it takes tact to voice dissent without being aggressive in most corporate cultures. One could be labelled as a worthy opponent or team player without knowing which.Effective confrontation at work is an acquired skill, one seen in some startups that make space to openly reject ideas and question the constraints of hierarchy for better outcomes.Workplaces where debates are not fights encourage a ‘multi-hat’ look at strategic plans, to borrow a term from Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats (1985).

Alas, in many companies, instead of this skill being honed into a form of art, it sets off ego battles where even juniors can almost predict that if A comes up with an idea, B will veto it, and frequently ends up squashed. If confrontation is not petty, it can be powerful. It can act as a shield against being pushed into a corner.

But it is a reasonable guess that most of the salary-dependent would pick silence over thoughtful confrontation. And why not? In the short term, it is peaceful, non-antagonistic and low risk, as it is unlikely to attract the wrath of any peer or boss. And not everyone can stomach it.

“It is unpleasant. I want to say a lot of things, but I know it will not move the needle, and letting it go has its own benefits,” a former colleague once told me. She hated confrontation.