Final answer:
To avoid the consensus trap in strategic management, two techniques are valuable: seeking outside opinions to provide new perspectives and conducting structured debates to ensure thorough consideration of all viewpoints.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is related to avoiding a consensus trap in strategic management. Alfred Sloan, the former president of General Motors, encouraged dissent in meetings because he believed that a lack of disagreement often led to poor decision-making. To avoid the consensus trap, strategic managers can adopt two techniques:
- Seeking outside opinions: Involving external stakeholders or consultants can provide new perspectives and challenge the prevailing groupthink.
- Conducting structured debates: By having team members argue opposing viewpoints, or considering the devil's advocate position, they can prevent premature consensus and consider alternatives more thoroughly.
Both techniques prevent premature consensus and encourage critical thinking and evaluation of different viewpoints.