Disagree but Commit
Updated 2026-08-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
A principle advocated by Andy Grove at Intel and Jeff Bezos at Amazon, holding that members should disagree vigorously before a decision and then commit fully to it once made, regardless of whether they agreed. Its core proposition is that decision quality comes from genuine dissent beforehand while execution quality comes from unity afterward, and that withholding support after the decision produces the worst of both. The qualifier is that the debate phase must be real rather than a formality.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Debate phase: invite and genuinely hear objections before the decision is made. - Decision point: close the discussion at a defined moment and state the decision clearly. - Role switch: move from critic to executor, backing the choice as if it were your own.
Anchor fast decisions
Decisions improve when they are tested against the strongest available objections, and execution improves when everyone pushes in the same direction. Separating the two phases by a clear decision point lets the organization have both, whereas leaving dissent open past the decision converts it into passive resistance that undermines execution.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disagree_and_commitverified
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