Dear Bob ...Your topic (in "Non-Boolean governance," Keep the Joint Running, 1/29/2007) gave me an idea, so I thought I would try a practical application to test the theory. I floated a bad idea on purpose in a project meeting just to see how many of my subordinates would agree, and the results were astonishing – out of about 6 in the meeting, only one refuted the logic.Afterwards, when I explained that it was Dear Bob …Your topic (in “Non-Boolean governance,” Keep the Joint Running, 1/29/2007) gave me an idea, so I thought I would try a practical application to test the theory. I floated a bad idea on purpose in a project meeting just to see how many of my subordinates would agree, and the results were astonishing – out of about 6 in the meeting, only one refuted the logic.Afterwards, when I explained that it was a test there were some red faces. It shows how, even in an organization where free-thinking is encouraged, many are erroneously trying to earn favor by being agreeable. My comment was that if I wanted robots, we’d buy robots to agree with everything we say/do. We need people ready to challenge the status quo and push service delivery to the next level. Thoughts?– ExperimentalistDear Experimenter … I’m not sure I agree with the tactic of mousetrapping your direct reports. On the other hand, you did make a telling point with them. So long as they didn’t end up feeling like you set them up, it sounds like a win.So here’s my question to you: You say it’s an environment that encourages free thinking. How do you encourage it? You might have accidentally encouraged uncritical thinking, as is the case if you’ve brought in the “professionals” who teach that when brainstorming, the group has to dully pass the conversational baton clockwise, in sequence, without anyone ever making a comment on anyone else’s ideas.It’s also possible that you simply don’t discourage free thinking. Certainly, not shooting people when they disagree with you is a positive. Still, it’s different from active encouragement. Understand, I’m not criticizing – I have no facts with which to do so (and I realize I’m bucking the trend by letting that stop me … but I digress).My advice, for whatever it’s worth, is to look hard at whether, and how, you’re actively encouraging critical thinking and open discussion. It isn’t easy to get started, but once you have it creates an immensely rewarding environment.– Bob Technology Industry