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Business: Service: Corporate
devil's advocate inc   (+9)  [vote for, against]

A company board is engaging in a normal discussion, all agreeing together in unison. Man this is a problem!

Bring in the 'Devil's Advocate Inc' also known by some others as Devil Inc. They will give you a random trained 'devils advocate' to provide probing criticism of everything you say, even if everybody else in the room agrees with you. They also take the side of any 'underdogs' ensuring that the 'underdogs' idea is heard and considered critically.

But why would you want to hire an 'boardroom enemy?'. Well because you want to prevent group thinking from taking hold strangling new ideas.

And who knows, you might come to love seeing random strangers in your boardroom kicking your ego down in front of your peers (If paying for a dominatrix is getting too boring).
-- mofosyne, Apr 24 2010

UK Govt Guidance on and for non executive directors http://www.berr.gov...files/file23015.pdf
see the third bullet point on page 2 hereof [calum, Apr 25 2010]

// paying for a dominatrix is getting too boring //

It's not boring at all, just increasingly difficult to sneak through in expense claims....
-- 8th of 7, Apr 25 2010


Under exception of the part involving setting up a company to provide the "board room enemy" services, what you have proposed already exists and is, in my jurisdiction, called a "Non-Executive Director". All well run companies above mom-and-pop size have at least one (some boards are made up almost entirely of NEDs).
-- calum, Apr 25 2010


I would so love to work here...
-- RayfordSteele, Apr 25 2010


[calum] That's fascinating; thanks. What's in it for the non- executive director? I mean, has he or she an incentive to scrutinize, challange, and question (rather than going along to get along) or is it solely a matter of ethics?
-- mouseposture, Apr 26 2010


As far as disincentives to go native are concerned, in the UK, NEDs are subject to the same statutory and common-law regulation as partisan directors (though proving failure to comply with directors' duties es muy difficult). The major positive incentive is that a capable NED will gain a reputation as such and will therefore be in demand, and will develop a good number of quality connections.
-- calum, Apr 26 2010


I like this idea. I think it is quite bright. Not so practical, but hell, that is what this place is about, right?

[Sitting around the half-circle table, the CEO says]

" Now Mr. D.A., would you come in and join us? And kindly bring in 2 cups of coffee for each of us, please?"
-- blissmiss, Apr 26 2010


Is it ? We come here for the misuse of pyrotechnics and pointless violence towards cats, preferably simultaneously ...
-- 8th of 7, Apr 26 2010



random, halfbakery