Disagree and Commit

ScaleOS Take

Disagree and commit is Amazon's way of breaking through analysis paralysis and ensuring decisions don't get stuck in endless debate. The principle is simple: when you've had your say, been heard, and still disagree with a decision, you commit to executing it as if it were your own idea.

This isn't about suppressing dissent. It's about recognizing that perfect consensus is often impossible, and that organizational speed requires people to set aside their objections and move forward together. The key is that everyone must feel genuinely heard before committing.

Why It Matters

When teams can't move past disagreement, they slow down. Decisions stall. Opportunities pass. Worse, the organization learns that the way to win is to outlast your opponents in meetings, not to build the best solution.

Disagree and commit creates a culture where:

• Decisions get made even when there's legitimate disagreement
• People feel heard, which makes commitment possible
• The organization moves fast enough to compete
• Trust builds because people know their concerns were considered

Signals You Need It

Watch for these behaviors that indicate you need disagree and commit:

• Decisions that should take days drag on for weeks
• The same topics get rehashed in meeting after meeting
• People say "I told you so" when things go wrong
• Team members work against decisions they didn't support
• Executives spend more time debating than executing

How to Practice It

1. Create space for disagreement: Before making a decision, explicitly invite pushback. Ask "What are we missing?" and "Who sees this differently?"

2. Make the decision explicit: When it's time to commit, state clearly: "We've heard all perspectives. The decision is X. We're all committing to make this work."

3. Model commitment: Leaders must commit visibly, even when they disagreed. No passive-aggressive undermining. No "I told you so" if things go wrong.

4. Follow up: After committing, check in. Are people executing with energy, or just going through the motions? If commitment is weak, address it directly.

Related Principles

This principle works closely with context-not-control (Netflix) and other decision-making frameworks. It's particularly important when building new executive teams or scaling through periods of rapid growth.