askST Jobs: How to disagree with your boss

Manpower reporter Tay Hong Yi offers practical answers to candid questions on navigating workplace challenges and getting ahead in your career. Get more tips by signing up to The Straits Times’ HeadSTart newsletter.

Q: I disagree with a decision taken by my boss. How do I express my doubts without affecting the work relationship?

A: The likely reaction to a worker’s decision to express disagreement depends on the perceived nature of the conflict.

“Relationship conflicts, which are disagreements regarded as relational, are best avoided,” says industrial psychologist Victor Seah from the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).

There is evidence that relationship conflict leads to stress, anger and frustration in work units or groups, he notes.

Conversely, task conflict, which refers to situations where people disagree on how to undertake a task at hand, is generally positive and important to have.

“It is associated with creativity and innovation in organisations. Engaging in creativity in organisations has been documented to create tension and disagreement,” notes Dr Seah, who is director of the Behavioural Insights Centre of Excellence at SUSS.

Task conflict has also been linked with more divergent ideas and the questioning of status quo.

This type of conflict is crucial for dealing with ethical challenges that are often complex dilemmas with no simple answers, Dr Seah says, adding: “Finally, task conflict is associated with better decision-making in general, learning, and ultimately, performance.”

Whether a disagreement is perceived by employees as a relationship or task conflict is influenced by trust and psychological safety in the team.

“When trust and psychological safety are low, disagreements are more likely to be regarded as a relationship conflict,” Dr Seah says.

He advises more junior staff to articulate their disagreements in terms of specific aspects of the task at hand.

Efforts should be made to minimise the risk of relationship conflict, like emphasising how the disagreement is in the interest of better team performance and decision-making rather than any personal dislike.

“(These staff) should also avoid expressing disagreement in a way that might be construed as trying to compete with the other party,” notes Dr Seah.

He adds that there is “some evidence” that organisations with a polite or consensus-driven company culture are generally poor environments for expressing disagreement.

Dr Seah suggests that bosses aim to build what is called psychological safety in their work teams.

“Teams expressing psychological safety feel safe to take interpersonal risks such as admitting their mistakes and expressing their disagreements.

“Psychological safety is linked to honest feedback and performance reviews, greater team communication and increased occurrence of peer supporting behaviours.”

Bosses can build psychological safety by interacting more with staff to build trust and perform acts of mutual support, Dr Seah adds.

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