In many ways, a new idea’s presentation is the problem – that “yes or no” is the anticipated possibility. Unfortunately, for most companies it is “Grow or Die!!” As long as our culture preserves the paradigm that winning an argument is the ‘best test’ of the quality of an idea, people are going to fight new ideas. Our culture has gotten as far as it can on the fuel of argument – we need to evoke and teach cooperative design skills to go forward now. So I think it’s the model of debate as the acid test of an idea that needs to change.

I really enjoy your suggestions on how to get past this challenge and would like to build on your suggestions. Your “3rd & additional options” could be expressed in many ways – for instance, the skill of design or thinking as a skill, as well as additional communication skills. Parallel thinking is yet another answer, such as “Six Hat Thinking” by de Bono. When I discuss the skill of designing a way forward, I’m thinking of the sort of combination of observation and engineering such as embodied in the designing of collaborative biomimicry. (this is such a new concept that my spell-checker doesn’t even know the word!) As you outline, also there are more to add in the various skills of dialogue and communication, such as demonstrated in the World Cafe model.

I’m sure people who comment further can think of additional examples…