CONTROVERSY

—the conflict that arises when one

person’s ideas, information,
conclusions, theories, and opinions
are incompatible with those of
another
person, and the two seek to reach
an agreement.
 Controversies are
resolved by engaging in
what Aristotle called
“Deliberate discourse”
(i.e., the discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of
proposed actions)
aimed at synthesizing novel solutions (i.e., creative problem
solving).
A procedure for managing the controversy
consists of the following steps:

1. Research and prepare a position.

2. Present and advocate their position.
3. Engage in an open discussion.
4. Reverse perspectives
5. Reach a decision through consensus as
to which course of action to implement.
 chapter overview

“How controversy leads

to
creative decision
making”
 Controversy and Decision Making
Controversy Debate Concurrence seeking Individual decision making

Avoidance
Fear Ignorance Lack of training Anti-conflict bias Group norms

Experts and Group Decision Making

Outcomes of Controversy
Productivity Creativity Task involvement Interpersonal attraction Psychological health

Process of Controversy
Organize and conclude Being challenged Epistemic curiosity
Present and advocate Uncertainty Reconceptualization

Conditions
Cooperation Skills Rational argument

Guidelines Citizenship

Creativity
Developing Open-mindedness Brainstorming
DEBATE
—exists when two or more individuals
argue positions that are incompatible
with one another and a judge declares
a winner on the basis of who
presented their position the best.
• Individualistic decision making occurs when
isolated individuals independently decide on a
course of action without talking with one another.
Each decision maker comes to his or her
decision without interacting with others or
discussing the information upon which the
decision is being made.
• Individualistic decision making occurs when
isolated individuals independently decide on a
course of action without talking with one another.
Each decision maker comes to his or her
decision without interacting with others or
discussing
Closely the information
related upon
to the concept which the are the
of controversy
decision is being
concepts ofmade.
dissent and argumentation.
• Dissent can be defined as differences in opinion or
conclusion, especially from the majority. Dissent
often results in an argument.
• Individualistic decision making occurs when
isolated individuals independently decide on a
course of action without talking with one another.
Each decision maker comes to his or her
decision without interacting with others or
discussing
Closely the information
related upon
to the concept which the are the
of controversy
decision is being
concepts ofmade.
dissent and argumentation.
• Dissent can be defined as differences in opinion or
conclusion, especially from the majority. Dissent
often results in an argument.
• Argument is a thesis statement or claim supported by
and arguing is a social process in which two or more indiv
In a dialogue where arguments are constructed, presente
CONCEPTUAL
CONFLICT
—A desired form of conflict;
beneficial conflict that critiques
ideas, not people.
May also be called ideational conflict and or
constructive controversy
CONCURRENCE
SEEKING
—When group members inhibit
discussion to avoid any
disagreement.
(Concurrence seeking is close to the groupthink
concept of Janis (1982) in which members of a
decision-making group set aside their doubts and
misgivings about whatever policy is favored by the
 THEORY OF
CONSTRUCTIVE
CONTROVERSY
How conflict is structured in decision-making
situations determines how group members
interact with each other, which in turn
determines the quality of the decision and
other relevant outcomes. Conflict among
group members over which course of action
to take can be structured along a continuum.
At one end of the continuum is constructive
controversy and at the other end is
concurrence seeking. Each way of
Structuring Constructive
Controversies Steps:
• Propose several courses of
action
• Form advocacy teams
• Engage in the controversy
procedure
• Implement the decision
(Illustration of controversy)
COGNITIVE
PERSPECTIVE
— When one person’s ideas,
information, conclusion, theories,
and opinions are incompatible with
those of another, and the two seek
to reach an agreement.
EPISTEMIC
CURIOSITY
- An active search for more
information in hope of resolving the
uncertainty caused by conceptual
conflict.
PERSPECTIVE
TAKING
- To discuss difficult issues, make
joint reasoned judgments, and
increase commitment to implement
a decision, it is helpful to
understand and consider all
perspectives.
CREATIVITY
- is the process of bringing
something new into existence.
CREATIVITY
- is the process of bringing
something new into existence.
Disagreements and arguments among individuals with
diverse information and ideas are important aspects of
gaining creative insight. From the research, we can
conclude that controversy tends to promote creative
insight by influencing individuals to (a) view problems
from different perspectives and
(b) reformulate problems in ways that allow the
emergence of new orientations to a solution. There is
Developing
Creativity
• reaffirm cooperative goal of
making best decision possible
• promote controversy among
different opinions and
perspectives
• set aside time for reflection
OPEN-
MINDEDNESS
- The ability to listen to,
comprehend, and gain insight from
information, ideas, perspectives,
assumptions,
beliefs, conclusions, and opinions
different
 Open Vs. Closed Belief
Systems
• Creative problem solving requires
open-mindedness
• Open minded individuals are willing
to attend to, comprehend, and gain
insight into information, ideas,
perspectives, beliefs different from
DOGMATISM
- A relatively closed organization
of beliefs centered around absolute
authority that provide patterns of
intolerance toward others.
Closed-Minded
Individuals
• Less able to learn new beliefs or change old
beliefs
• Less able to organize new beliefs into existing
cognitive structures during problem solving
• Less accepting of belief-discrepant information
• More resistant to changing beliefs
• More frequently reject information threatening
their beliefs
• Have less recall of contrary information
• Evaluate consistent information more positively
• Tend to evaluate information on basis of who
said it
BRAINSTORMIN
G
- A procedure in which group
members are asked to produce as
many, and as uninhibited, ideas as
they possibly can and to withhold
criticism in order to
optimize creativity.
All criticism is withheld in order to reduce evaluation
apprehension. The engaging of free association of
ideas is supposed to open new avenues of thought.
Brainstorming tends to increase member
participation and involvement, generate lots of ideas
in a relatively short period of time, and reduce the
need to look for the "right" idea in order to impress
authority figures in the group.
During brainstorming, the ground rules are as
follows:
1. Rule out all criticism or evaluation of ideas. Ideas
are simply placed before the group.
2. Expect wild ideas in the spontaneity that evolves
when the group suspends judgment. Practical
considerations are not important at this point. The
session is to be freewheeling.
3. Value the quantity of ideas, not their quality. All
ideas should be expressed, and none should be
screened out by any individual. A great number of
ideas will increase the likelihood of the group
discovering good ones.
4. Build on the ideas of other group members when
possible. Pool your creativity. Everyone should be
free to build onto ideas and to make interesting
combinations from the various suggestions.
5. Focus on a single problem or issue. Don’t skip
around to various problems or try to brainstorm a
complex, multipart problem.
6. Promote a congenial, relaxed, cooperative
atmosphere.
7. Make sure that all members, no matter how shy
and reluctant to contribute, get their ideas heard.
8. Record all ideas.
Brainstorming requires open-mindedness, because
ideas are not judged during a brainstorming session.
Instead, brainstorming is about members throwing
out ideas, playing off someone else's idea, and
taking processes in new directions.
This chapter focused on the use of the controversy
procedure to increase the creativeness and quality of
group decision making.
at wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens ou
Our antagonist is our helper.
Edmund Burke
-end-