This document discusses arguments in the workplace and how they can both help and hinder an organization. It notes that while debate and disagreement can spark new ideas, arguments targeting individuals are less productive. Managers are often told to avoid conflict, but research shows debate can aid creativity. The document provides tips for engaging in arguments constructively, such as restating an opponent's position strongly to find common ground, and focusing on ideas rather than personal feelings. It advocates using the "Benice" approach - being nice to avoid feuds, build trust through listening, keep discussions private, and focus on shared goals rather than past disagreements. Winning arguments gets you nowhere; the goal should be cooperation not conflict.

1. By
Col Mukteshwar Prasad
based on Times of India News
Argument Makes an Office Great

2. Intoduction
 Organisation that expects people to always agree
and get along will be starved of ideas
 The "most important" arguments fall into three
categories:
Strategy;
Values; and
 People. (The ones that revolve around people are the
worst) especially if the CEO or manager makes polarizing comments.
 "If you think the most important arguments going on in your organization
revolve around particular individuals and their unusual mix of style and
substance, watch out," says Schrage.

3. Introduction
 Not all conflict is the same, says Thompson. Benign conflict
focuses on the work, but the malignant kind targets personalities.
 "Managers often tell groups not to criticize each other, but the
data actually suggest that debate helps the creative process,"
says Thompson.
 One exercise if you feel your ideas are unfairly attacked: Restate
your opponent's argument even more forcefully, but don't make it
personal.
 "Focusing just on arguments and data — and setting aside
personal feelings — takes some practice, like playing piano or
riding a bike," says Thompson

4. Introduction
 Arguments in office are common
 Statistics
 1/3 of Executives and employees argued with co workers
atleast once a month
 Reasons
 Personal insecurities
 Desire for power and control
 Habitual victimhood

5. Need
 “We try to hide our mistakes ,avoid healthy debate , shy away from
disagreement just to protect ourselves .Sometimes we start fights just to distract
people”
 Annnie Mckee in “How to be happy at work”
 Employers take a dim view of arguments because
 Uglier arguments affects entire office performance
 Hurts business directly as Clients witness to such rude behaviour of staff will not
place order
 Complaisance oriented Cos harm themselves
 “Everyone thinks they want to work in peaceful Utopia where everyone gets
along , but if we don’t agree we are not going to produce good work .It is just
not possible”
• Amy E Gallow
 It should be good but should not be mean and unkind

6. Advantage of office conflict
 Starved of ideas –Arguments bring out different perspective
 Disagreement is painful as we don’t want to be proven wrong
 Arguments tests our ideas against competing ideas
 Can prove us wrong

7. Risk is worth taking
 “It will either help improve your side of the argument ,because you will try
and engage at the highest level with best argument coming from the
opposition , so you will have to be better at your argument or you never
know you might change your mind”
• Clair Fox
 An Organisation that allows argument is less likely to fall prey to
“Confirmation Bias” because people with voice aren't trying to pile up
evidence for leadership beliefs.
 “They will shoot down your poor arguments,they will give you arguments
for other side and things should end up working OK”

8. Why Winning Office Arguments Gets You Nowhere
Hence Benice(Be Nice)
 ‘Benice,’” means “ to be nice. It is better to win a friend than win an argument. Arguments
lead to feuds; allies lead to success.”
 Four simple lessons which will eliminate feuds from life and make career more enjoyable and
successful
 1.Avoid feuds altogether
 The best way to deal with a conflict is to avoid it.
 It takes two to feud, so if you find yourself in the middle of one, look in the mirror to see who is
actually responsible.
 Thinking positively about your coworkers makes a difference.
 Assume that they want to do their best.
 A misunderstanding does not have to be a conspiracy against you.
 If there is a misunderstanding, sort it out fast.
 That means talking to the person, not emailing.
 Email is good at building an evidence trail.
 It is not good at building trust or understanding. Pick up the phone or walk across the office.
 Don’t over-communicate
 We communicate more than ever, but understand each other less than ever.
Understanding comes from listening, not talking. You have two ears and one mouth: Use
them in that proportion. Let your coworker do the talking. Once they feel they have been
heard and understood, they will feel respected. Only then will they be open to hearing your

9. Why Winning Office Arguments Gets You Nowhere
Hence Benice(Be Nice)
 2.Don’t over-communicate
 We communicate more than ever, but understand each other less than ever.
 Understanding comes from listening, not talking.
 You have two ears and one mouth: Use them in that proportion.
 Let your coworker do the talking.
 Once they feel they have been heard and understood, they will feel respected.
 Only then will they be open to hearing your point of view.
 Keep your discussions private.
 Involving your boss makes you look weak.
 And if you gossip to colleagues, what you say will be magnified and distorted—so steer clear of
that as well.

10. Why Winning Office Arguments Gets You Nowhere
Hence Benice(Be Nice)
 3.Build trust
 Trust is the glue that keeps teams together.
 Trust is both professional and personal.
 Personal Trust
 You can build personal trust simply by listening to people.
 Showing you respect someone is powerful
 Professional trust is about credibility and reliability.
 Always deliver on expectations.
 Remember that reliability is in the eye of the beholder.
 That means it is better to have a difficult conversation at the outset about expectations than to have
an even more difficult conversation at the end about results.
 4.Focus on the future
 Analyzing the past is dangerous.
 The “he said, she said” debate starts the blame game and keeps the feud going.
 Instead, focus on what you need to achieve together.
 A common prize creates a mutual win-win. Success buries the past.

11. Why Winning Office Arguments Gets You
Nowhere
Hence Benice(Be Nice)
 The rules might avoid conflicts, but they also sounded weak . What
if one ever needed to make a stand and fight his corner.
 “Of course, you have to know when to fight,Only do so when there
is a prize worth fighting for, you know you can win, and there
is no other way of achieving your goal.”
 Most feuds fail all of these three rules of corporate warfare.
 Even if you win the battle, you lose the war, because each battle
creates another enemy.
 Your competition should be in the marketplace, not sitting at a desk
nearby.