Overly Dogmatic “I am right, you are wrong”, Thinking

I’ve come to believe that one of the greatest unseen hazards in leadership and in management consulting isn’t arrogance, incompetence, or even fear; it’s dogmatic certainty.

Most of us don’t recognise it because dogma hides inside conviction. The stronger we feel about being right, the less likely we are to question the beliefs that make us feel that way. And in the world of management and consulting, where confidence sells, this blindness is rewarded. The more certain someone sounds, the more “expert” they appear. Yet that same certainty quietly suffocates collaboration, innovation, and learning.

Over the last 10 years of working in two startups and observing people under pressure, I’ve noticed that when we think we’re being “clear,” we’re often just being closed. I think real objectivity begins not with knowing, but with doubting well.

The tragedy is that our dogma prevents us from seeing its damage. It convinces us we’re guardians when we’re actually contributing to the problem. It tells us we’re driving clarity when we’re shutting down curiosity. This may help explain why bullying is still so common in workplaces. We can all slip into being the bully when certainty becomes our shield.

During my observations, I asked myself how I could be more objective and replied with a joke: “To object.” That became the foundation of SpatzAI. It is built around a simple principle: call out overly dogmatic thinking and behavior before it hardens into stubborn conflict. Through a three-phase intervention — Caution, Object, Stop — Spatz enables teams expose the rigid moments that hide beneath good intentions, in real-time and without drama.

We may never eliminate overly dogmatic behavior, but we can build systems that reveal, address, and resolve it before it derails teamwork. If we can do that, I believe we can create fairer, safer teamwork that is more capable of converging on the objective together.