Unfortunately for getting anything done in organizations, one of the best ways of sounding smart is to be critical of others’ ideas. The devastating intellectual put-down is sometimes part and parcel of the academic game. It is largely harmless in universities since little of consequence happens as a result. Much to our surprise, however, put-downs are often part of the corporate game as well. At a large financial institution we studied, people scored points by criticizing others’ ideas in meetings. This behavior was particularly likely to occur in front of senior management, as junior
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