Turning Dissent into your Competitive Edge

Late last week I came across Oliver Ramirez G. ’s concise take on open‐feedback cultures. The idea clicked for me straight away - and the LinkedIn community clearly felt the same. In the first three days Oliver’s post gathered 352 reactions and 227 comments (with more still rolling in), a strong signal that leaders everywhere are looking for practical ways to turn disagreement into progress.

In this article, I’m sharing some of my own reflections on Oliver’s key points - drawing on research and real‑world examples - while also highlighting the value he brings by keeping feedback front of mind for his network.

1. Trust Is a Performance Metric

High‑trust workplaces aren’t a “nice to have.” In controlled studies, employees in such environments report 74 % less stress, 40 % less burnout and up to 50 % higher productivity (Zak, Harvard Business Review). Trust is therefore a line‑item on the P&L, not a warm‑and‑fuzzy extra.

Quick gut‑check: Could a new graduate safely challenge a VP’s idea on day one? If the answer is “maybe not,” trust - not the market - belongs at the top of the action list.

2. Make Feedback Routine, Not a Set‑Piece

Oliver suggests a weekly 30‑minute “feedback office hour.” Great starting point. Here are three ways to embed the habit:

• Model fallibility – open leadership meetings with one thing you got wrong this week.

• Close every loop – keep a public list of suggestions with status notes, even for the ideas you decline.

• Pilot fast – choose one idea on Monday, test it by Friday, and share what happened. Speed shows you mean it.

3. Frame Dissent Around Purpose

Unstructured critique can drift into complaint territory. Anchor the conversation with prompts like:

• “What might our customers criticise six months from now?”

• “Which long‑held assumption deserves a stress test?”

• “If we reverse this decision next quarter, what warning signs will we wish we’d spotted?”

4. Ritual Outweighs Software

Tools such as Polly AI, Workleap or a simple suggestion box amplify existing habits - they don’t create them. Three non‑negotiables underpin success:

• Cadence – a recurring slot where feedback is expected.

• Visibility – a shared space for ideas and responses.

• Ownership – a named “feedback steward” who makes sure every suggestion is resolved or politely declined.

When those pieces click, the tech becomes an accelerant rather than shelf‑ware.

5. Reward the Act of Speaking Up

Recognition should focus on the courage to raise issues, not just on ideas that get implemented:

• Spot bonuses or coffee vouchers for surfacing risks early.

• Ten‑minute “candour stories” in all‑hands meetings.

• Peer‑nominated shout‑outs for clear, respectful dissent.

6. Typical Pitfalls—and How to Avoid Them

• Feedback fatigue – suggestion pile‑up with little action. Fix: pause new initiatives until most of the backlog is closed or formally declined.

• HiPPO‑override – senior voices eclipse data. Fix: apply a “two‑way door” rule - fast yes on reversible calls; written disagree‑and‑commit for permanent ones.

• Echo chambers – the same people always speak. Fix: send short anonymous pulse surveys to hear quieter teammates.

7. Local Proof Points

Australian organisations showing that transparency scales:

• Atlassian – incident reviews are blameless and shared internally, living their “Open company, no bullshit” value.

• Canva – product teams track feature requests in public and report back when items ship.

• Coles Group – Culture Amp surveys and action plans are owned by 120 000+ team members, embedding feedback in day‑to‑day operations.

Closing Thought

As the market shifts from recovery to opportunity, organisations that normalise respectful dissent will out‑learn and out‑pace those that mute it. Oliver’s eight‑point framework is a solid foundation; the additions above can help turn good intentions into durable habits.

Which single practice will you test this week—office hours, loop‑closure updates, or peer‑to‑peer critique?

Please share your plan below; real‑world experiments are the best feedback tool we have.

Sources

• Oliver Ramirez G., “Weak leaders fear dissent as a threat to their power,” LinkedIn post, 13 June  2025. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/oliverramirezgomez_weak-leaders-fear-dissent-as-a-threat-to-activity-7338875219991781376-n94u

• Paul J. Zak, “The Neuroscience of Trust,” Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2017/01/the-neuroscience-of-trust

• Atlassian Engineering, “Incident Management & Post‑mortem Guide,” https://www.atlassian.com/incident-management/handbook/postmortems

• Culture Amp, “How Coles leverages employee feedback to build a people‑focused culture,” https://www.cultureamp.com/case-studies/coles