It’s Time To Play The Devil’s Advocate

The world has become a scary place: the pandemic, the war, supply chain disruption, and the climate crisis have created a witch’s brew of complexity and uncertainty that makes it hard for businesses large and small find the right way forward.

That is why you need to play the devil’s advocate – to challenge your assumptions, identify new options, and understand what could wrong so that you can make sure it doesn’t.

The term “devil’s advocate” has its roots in the Roman Catholic Church, where it referred to an official whose role was to argue against candidates for canonization. This was intended to draw out any overlooked flaws or exaggerations in the evidence for sainthood. In contemporary usage, to “play the devil’s advocate” means to adopt a position one does not necessarily agree with, for the sake of skeptical inquiry or to explore the thought further.

Playing the devil’s advocate involves assuming a contrary or opposing viewpoint, often to test the strength of an argument, idea, or decision. It does not necessarily mean the advocate believes in the opposing viewpoint; rather, it is a way of encouraging critical thinking, exposing flaws in the original thinking, and preventing groupthink. This method is pivotal in cultivating an environment of analytical rigor, helping to surface and explore alternatives and better understand the consequences of a decision.

Companies of all size can benefit from employing this approach in their decision-making processes. Because the business environment is characterized by complexity, uncertainty, and continuous change, making decisions without considering all viewpoints can be dangerous. Devil’s advocacy helps in revealing unexplored opportunities and potential pitfalls, thereby reducing the risk of making poor decisions.

Specifically, devil’s advocacy can help your organization:

1. Combat Groupthink: Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon where the desire for harmony in a group leads to irrational or dysfunctional decision making. Here, the devil’s advocate technique is essential in breaking the unanimity and pushing members to reevaluate their stance, leading to more robust and informed conclusions.

2. Enhance Decision Quality: When a devil’s advocate presents contrary viewpoints or uncovers overlooked flaws, it compels decision-makers to reconsider their options and refine their strategies. This results in more comprehensive, thoughtful, and high-quality decisions.

3. Stimulate Creativity: Devil’s advocacy forces individuals to look at problems and solutions from different perspectives, thus fostering creative thinking and innovative problem solving. It prompts teams to think outside the box and develop unique solutions to challenges.

4. Mitigate Risks: Identifying potential problems before implementing a decision allows companies to mitigate risks proactively. Playing the devil’s advocate aids in revealing unseen risks and enables organizations to develop contingency plans.

Using devil’s advocacy in businesses necessitates a conducive environment where dissenting opinions are welcomed and valued. Leaders should encourage employees to question assumptions and raise objections without fear of retribution.

Formalizing the role of a devil’s advocate in meetings or decision-making sessions can help ensure that opposing viewpoints are systematically considered, but designating someone to play the devil’s advocate can also create its own problems. When someone is assigned to play the role of the devil’s advocate, it becomes easy to disregard what that person says. Afterall, they are “just playing the devil’s advocate.”

That is why I find it more effective to have everyone on the team play this role.

Rather than assigning the job of playing the devil’s advocate to one person, I have developed a number of tools to ensure that everyone in the group is forced to look at ideas critically. My favorite is Devil’s Troika, a systematic way of quickly analyzing an idea through both a constructive, iterative lens, and through a critical, contrarian lens before synthesizing the products of both these analyses into an even better idea – one that builds on the strengths of the original, but also mitigates its weaknesses.

The benefit of this approach is that it forces everyone to look at the plan both critically and constructively. I have employed this technique successfully from Wall Street to the Black Sea, helping big banks stress-test trillion-dollar strategies and NATO respond to resurgent threats from the East.

But even in its most basic form, playing the devil’s advocate has value. As a leader you should make this concept part of your decision-making process, too. By fostering an environment where diverse opinions are appreciated, and by deliberately playing devil’s advocate, you and your team can better today’s dynamic business landscape, making optimal decisions that drive sustained success.