What is the recommended approach when there is disagreement at the executive level and everyone believes they are right?

• A. First ensure everyone is heard and understood, then vote to find a majority decision.
• B. Immediately impose the majority view.
• C. Ignore dissenting views.
• D. Bring in an external arbitrator immediately.

Answer: (A)

When executives are at an impasse with each side convinced they’re right, a structured and inclusive approach is the best path. Start by making sure every perspective is heard and truly understood. This step reduces miscommunication, surfaces all the underlying concerns, and ensures no important point is overlooked. Once everyone’s views are on the table and questions are clarified, use a clear voting process to determine the majority decision. This provides a transparent, fair mechanism to resolve the disagreement and creates legitimacy for whatever path is chosen, since it reflects the collective will after full consideration.

Imposing the majority view without hearing the concerns undermines trust and can leave unresolved resentment. Ignoring dissenting views eliminates potentially valuable information and might lead to future conflicts. Bringing in an external arbitrator can be appropriate in some cases, but it delays resolution and is usually not the first step when there is room for internal discussion and a democratic process.