Definition

A disagreement is when two or more actors have different answers to either of the following questions as they apply to a specific situation.

1. What is true?

2. What is the best course of action?

Examples

Disagreements can be productive or unproductive.

A productive disagreement is one in which the rewards are greater than the drawbacks in a holistic sense from the point of view of the actors engaged in the disagreement.

Here are some examples of productive disagreements.

1. A and B disagree about the best place to eat. However, they make a compromise which both approve of.

2. A and B disagree about how to solve a problem. However, after discussion they come up with a great idea that blends their ideas.

3. A and B disagree about the best text editor for coding. After discussion, they recognize that they are not going to agree and each respects the choices made by the other.

An unproductive disagreement is any one in which the drawbacks exceed the rewards. Some of the drawbacks are wasted time, getting yelled at, frustration, rumination, harmed relationships, using hurtful words that you regret later, physical violence, and so on. Here are some examples:

1. A and B are arguing about a political issue with lots of interrupting, shouting, topic changing, and anger. There is not any resolution of anything.

2. A and B have a shouting match about a barking dog. However, this exchange does not solve anything.

Rationale:

Here are some reasons why it is useful to be able to productively manage disagreements.

1. This skill is useful because disagreements are super common.

2. Build strong relationships because you can effectively management disagreements.

3. Minimize or eliminate drawbacks of disagreements: damage to relationships, wasted time, stress, frustration, and so forth.

4. Some roles or professions require skills in conflict resolution: leader, manager, parent, family member, counselor, and so on.

5. There are situations in which it is useful to be able to prevail (win) when there are disagreements.

Relationships

1. These two key terms that have different meanings. However, they are often used as synonyms in everyday language.

   1. Argument: A claim plus one or more reasons that justify why the claim is true. This is consistent will the nomenclature of CT literature.

   2. Disagreement. When two or more actors have differing or opposite conclusions about an issue. Disagreement are often accompanied by angry emotions.

2. Effective Disagreement refers to when one or all actors benefit from the disagreement and no actors are harmed.

3. Dale Carnegie said “The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.” This is because most people have not yet learned how to effectively disagree.

#CT #Collaboration