If you’ve been in business for any length of time, you’ve likely had the following experience. Someone proposes a course of action, and everyone else acquiesces even though they have reservations. It could be that the meeting is running long and they want to get back to their offices, or they remember that similar discussions went nowhere, so they simply agree. Worse still, people may feel they have to give in to gain approval or avoid looking negative.

Whatever the reason, this type of groupthink, where individual responsibility is abdicated in favor of easy agreement, can cause damage to an organization. It substitutes passivity and apathy for a robust discussion of important issues, squelching dissent and ignoring alternative viewpoints. Valid concerns aren’t explored because they aren’t convenient. When individuals aren’t empowered to go against the flow or are actively discouraged from doing so, an organization’s decision-making process is negatively affected.

It’s easy to be a yes-man or yes-woman, but that behavior isn’t in the best interests of your company, and ultimately isn’t in the best interests of future growth or innovation. Here’s how to go against the flow when it’s essential to do so.