Are Rigorous Scientific Debates A Thing Of The Past?

By Lori Dernavich

Scientists are taught to be interrogators, questioning every theory, experiment, variable, and outcome. This used to lead to rigorous scientific debate, but something is changing.

If you experience lively scientific debates where coworkers can disagree with each other and still go for a coffee afterward, congratulations! After 20 years of being a leadership development coach, I’m observing a shift. Healthy debates are waning, leaving leaders wondering why employees aren’t speaking up. Instead, they’re hearing comments like, “I don’t feel safe speaking up,” “They attacked me,” or “I don’t like being questioned.”