Valid criticism and minority viewpoints are important because they make us stop and address the issue. We’re forced to think around the problem and re-examine our position from different angles.
Even bad criticism or bad minority arguments are valuable in this regard.
When the consensus is disrupted, we almost always will come to a better or more creative solution for the problem at hand.
A CEO surrounded by “yes-men” and a culture of groupthink, is a CEO that will not have a company for very long.
Promoting dissent and allowing people to question things for themselves is one hallmark sign that you have a culture, not a cult. In a cult, dissension is swiftly crushed and no examination or questioning is allowed.