Why you should stop playing the devils advocate

Why you should stop playing the devils advocateWhy you should stop playing the devils advocateThe devils advocate has a long and distinguished history.In the 16th century, the Roman Catholic Church established a new practice for vetting individuals proposed for sainthood. Under this practice, a impresario of the faith would be assigned to vet the candidates and present facts against their canonization. He was opposed by the Gods advocate, and as a result, the promoter of the faith came to be known as the devils advocate.The devils advocate eventually migrated outside the church and into our daily lives. Five centuries later, we anoint devils advocates in organizations big and small to encourage dissent, foster discussion among alternatives, and prevent groupthink.This approach sounds great in theory, but tzu siches a problem with it in practice.It doesnt work.Social science research shows little meaningful difference in generating original thinking between groups with no dissenters a nd groups with an appointed devils advocate. Its only when the dissent is genuine - when it doesnt result from a role play - that it boosts the quantity and quality of solutions to a problem.This result might strike you as surprising. In the relevant research, both the authentic dissenter and the devils advocate oppose the majoritys position. Both maintain the same position using the same set of arguments. Yet the distinction between manufactured and authentic dissent is sufficient to make a significant difference in originality.The reasons for this divergence arent clear. Perhaps, people take manufactured dissent less seriously than real dissent. They may question, rightly or wrongly, the devils advocates commitment to her arguments. As a result, the type of engaging give-and-take that follows an authentic disagreement may be absent in a manufactured one.Using a devils advocate isnt simply a watered-down way of generating authentic dissent. In fact, a devils advocate can generate the very result that it seeks to prevent. Even in studies where the use of a devils advocate stimulates more arguments, the new arguments tend to support the groups initial position. Having heard and rejected alternative views from the devils advocate, the group may grow more confident in its initial position and more extreme in its views.In other words, appointing a devils advocate may encourage groupthink.But theres one seeming advantage to appointing a devils advocate. No one likes to be the skunk at the picnic, the lone holdout pounding her fists at the conference room table, postponing happy hour for everyone involved. Skunks, like messengers, have a habit of getting shot. The cloak of the devils advocate provides us cover. We assume were less likely to ruffle feathers if we claim to play the devils advocate when Aunt Helen goes on one of her political rants.Here, again, theres a conflict between what we assume and what science knows. Studies show that feathers are equally ruf fled in groups that adopt a devils advocate and groups with an authentic dissenter. In both cases, the dissenters received roughly the same likeability rating from the rest of the group.In short, the devils advocate is a misguided tool. It comes with the stink of ruffling the group, but without the benefit of generating original thinking.The next time youre tempted to play the devils advocate - dont.If youre going to disagree, go ahead and disagree - not under the cloak of a devils advocate, but as your authentic self.Inspirations for the post The Berkeley psychologist Charlan Nemeths work on groupthink and Adam Grants book, Originals.Ozan Varol is a rocket scientist turned law professor and bestselling author.Click hereto download a free copy of his e-book, The Contrarian Handbook 8 Principles for Innovating Your Thinking. Along with your free e-book, youll get the Weekly Contrarian - a newsletter that challenges conventional wisdom and changes the way we look at the world (plus access to exclusive content for subscribers only).Thisarticlefirst appeared onOzanVarol.com.