I ran across this today:

>> [Jay Hall] found that effective groups actively looked for the points in which they disagreed and in consequence encouraged conflicts amongst the participants in the early stages of the discussion. In contrast, the ineffective groups felt a need to establish a common view quickly, used simple decision making methods such as averaging, and focused on completing the task rather than on finding solutions they could agree on. <<

Wow, so much of my short LDS career involved groups looking only to establish agreement so they could complete the task. Never mind whether the consensus was any good. They went through the motions and earned their righteousness points, so all was good. I mean they certainly didn't want to invite the Spirit of Contention into their midst. Oooo, scary.

We were taught that contention was of the devil, so we tried very hard to avoid contention. The best way to do that is to never disagree but to go along and do what you're told.

That nearly destroyed me.

Agree.
I'd go so far as to say that most LDS are mentally Lazy; they're lulled into pacificity by the leaders, 'Nothing (directed by the Mo Church) Happens by Accident'.

Back in the old days "contending for the faith" was a staple of
Mormonism. Apostle LeGrande Richards couldn't give a talk
without putting in some argument he once had with some sectarian
preachers where he came out on top because his evidence was
irrefutable.

It was only when the evidence turned against them (history
rather than scriptural interpretation) that the Mormons came up
with "contention is of the Devil" mantra. As long as they were
winning contention was a wonderful thing. When they started
losing it became Satanic.

And every one of those MBA LDS leaders who ever went to college and understands how the trandformation of ideas or how a focus group, or product/prototype brainstorm session works in helping to create a winner or morph a marketing campaign, knows this.

Collaboration is part of all of the above, sure. But it is at moments where the conversation veers away from getting along to getting it right, that someone (or several someones thinking it already) says, Hey, this just won't work, what we're doing right here. What we REALLY need to do is THIS, not THAT.

Which is why they try to stifle disagreement as much as possible amongst the brethren. It might just lead somewhere they themselves do not want to follow...

...is grounded in the idea that there are several possible solutions. But Mormonism is mired in the idea that there's only one correct answer. The trouble is, most of the Official Answers® don't actually work. But it's NEVER the answer's nor the answer giver's fault. The way the church sees it, it's MY fault the answer doesn't work. I must be doing something wrong. I must be unworthy -- probably because I dared question the Official Answers®.