DIssenting voices approaching - Perk up your ears

In product development, the entire team is constantly making decisions big and small. Over time, these decisions result in the actual direction your product takes. For this reason Product Managers and the entire product team should keep their focus clear. For the Product Manager there should be a constant effort ongoing to understand what is relevant and what is not.

Keeping the focus clear is easier said than done. Decisions usually involve a continuous balancing of different perspectives. The more complex the environment, the more competing points of view are available. Some viewpoints or suggestions are easier to quantify than others. Sometimes a consideration may be valid, but its affect or value cannot be reasonably measured. Another viewpoint or suggestion may challenge the current focus altogether, and taking it seriously would call for a change in direction. This constant balancing act between perspectives, maintaining focus, and adjusting direction inevitably creates tension and conflicts.

Few of us are very keen on conflicts and prefer to avoid them. But in product development, tension between perspectives is an inevitable and even necessary part of good decision-making. Therefore, the team working on the product or service should learn to handle conflicts constructively and even appreciate them.

As a product manager, I spend a ton of time getting to know the customers, analysing different sources of information, and piecing together a complete picture of the product and its context. I'm a big fan of drawing diagrams to help me wrap my head around everything. My goal is always to figure out what's important for the product and business right now, what can wait, and what's just not relevant. But sometimes, when I've finally got everything sorted out in my own head, dissenting voices and conflicting opinions can make me feel like I'm spinning my wheels. At moments like that, it is really important to be aware of my inner reaction and remember that even if it may feel frustrating, I know that constructive conflict is actually a good thing! Ignoring dissenting opinions can lead to blind spots and missed opportunities.

So, how can we encourage constructive conflict? First of all, we need to make sure there is space for dialogue and structures in place that allow and encourage discussion. We also need to have an attitude of curiosity and a willingness to seriously consider opposing views and even actively seek them out. This requires really listening to what our customers, teammates, and stakeholders are saying, and trying to understand where they are coming from, even if we don't agree with them. It's helpful to try to put ourselves in other people's shoes, ask good questions, try to understand the background and everyday reality of the presenter, as well as the assumptions behind the views presented.

And of course, at some point, we need to make a decision. But even then, we need to explain our reasoning and logic to those who would have decided differently. That way, everyone can understand why we made the decision we did, and we can all move forward together.

So let's remember to perk up our ears when hearing a dissenting voice, it may not be a bad thing at all -

it could be a chance to learn something new, make better decisions, and focus more clearly on what really matters.

Do you share the experience of conflict as a necessary part of product development? Send me a message, and let's talk more about practical ways to create space for dialogue and constructive conflict!