We believe to deal well with different opinions and styles – till we get confronted.
We are used to work in a certain environment. Our habits, our style, our preferences are good – because it´s ours. We are quite aware of other cultures and try hard to respect them. We may have read books about cultural differences, and the way cultures are structured. It is somewhat easy to deal with cultural differences when we expect them to happen.
How do we react when we face opposition? How do we react when someone who is expected to share our values and supposed to come out of our own society shows fundamentally different perspective? Are we willing to take the step back, to open our mind and to listen? Or is it easier to hide critical perspectives and to deal with opposition only when it´s close to our fundamental believes? Do we understand that a person opposing is showing quite some courage and respect? Do we understand that opposition my help our organization to overcome weaknesses?
Most organizations develop a certain (informal) culture how to deal with opposition. “The last person who had this idea is no longer working here, too” is not only a statement but a killer for different perspectives and creativity.