Disagreeing well

Create an environment for Disagreeing Well with spaces that are safe for disagreement rather than safe from disagreement

What issues will this solve for you?

The 'Disagreeing Well' programme is designed to tackle the real challenges of managing diverse teams and fostering genuine inclusion. It addresses visibility and value of differences among colleagues, counteracts a culture that fears disagreement, and replaces rigid rules-based approaches with open, constructive dialogue.

The module tackles the problem of psychological safety—ensuring teams are safe for disagreement, not avoiding it—which is crucial for leveraging diversity of viewpoint and background. Managers often struggle to handle clumsy or uncomfortable moments in teams; this programme targets that gap by giving leaders confidence and skills to intervene effectively and foster productive collaboration.

How we will work with you?

The module is rooted in evidence and decades of practice across public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, drawing on Simon Fanshawe’s expertise and co-founding work at Stonewall.

Training is delivered via a series of half-day sessions for managers—typically with up to 20 participants per session—built around co-designed scenarios reflecting common and challenging real-world issues.

The structured programme covers three elements:

understanding and combining difference (The Power of Difference)
clear managerial responsibility and inclusive decision-making (The Bigger Principle)
targeted skills for managing disagreement and clumsiness in teams (Disagreeing Well itself).

Throughout, practical tools are used to help managers develop judgement, learn to intervene purposefully, and lead discussions focused on learning rather than blame.

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What are the outcomes you'll get?

Participants come away with a strong appreciation of viewpoint diversity and the confidence to create spaces where constructive disagreement fuels learning and collaboration.

Tangible outcomes include:

Improved psychological safety in teams, making disagreement productive rather than risky
Stronger management skills in handling difference and moving from 'point and punish' to 'talk and learn'
Practical frameworks and tools managers can apply immediately
Enhanced team performance, innovation, and inclusion
Measurable behaviour change leading to better decision-making and greater sense of belonging

Ultimately, the programme equips organisations with the means to make diversity a real driver of results, not just a compliance exercise or a source of division.

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