The team has agreed …- the power of suggested recollection
I am not normally a cynic. I trust people’s good intentions. However, I am a little suspicious when an argument in favor or against a specific way of doing something boils down to: “we, the team, have agreed…” (or various flavors that use decided, concluded etc). It may very well be true of course. But all too often, someone has a personal opinion that she or he tries to strengthen by bringing the team’s will into the discussion.
I will not blindly accept this as a statement even less as a winning argument. Even if the team did declare or pledge something, it may not hold valid in this particular case. But I find out on many occasions that the team members are quite uncertain about whether they did in fact agree on this. And they certainly do not recall why that was. And they typically have different memories about it.
To me a statement that invokes the team’s conviction can only be truly meaningful if the team have recorded their principle or decision or strong preference. If they have made clear to themselves — from that moment on to anyone else — what exactly they believe in and want to adhere to — and they write down why that is the case, then this something to very seriously take into consideration whenever debating something that concerns the team. No doubt about it.
