Taming the HiPPO in Your Workshop

In the best case scenario, an organization’s culture may cause a collaborative workshop to defer to the most senior member. In the worst case scenario, a senior member may take the workshop as their own stage and derail your plans for collaboration. In either case, you’ve invested in bringing your best minds together to only hear from one. 

As a facilitator, it’s up to you to harness or tame that HiPPO, the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion. It’s up to you to balance that respect for authority while encouraging diverse participation in your workshop. 

Understanding the HiPPO Dynamic

The highest paid person’s opinion, or HiPPO, describes an effect (intentional or not) that more senior members of an organization may have when included in a brainstorm or workshopping session. 

Common issues that come up with an unmanaged HiPPO can include dismissing ideas prematurely, steering the conversation toward their personal opinion of the best path, or either intentionally or unintentionally intimidating other participants - often all but silencing much of the group. 

This seems to be more prevalent in larger organizations, though I’ve seen HiPPO’s dominate in companies as small as 25 people.

HiPPOs aren’t inherently good or bad thing, but it’s import to manage their effects to ensure the best returns from your time and money investments into your brainstorming session or workshop. 

Challenges of Managing a HiPPO in a Workshop

As a facilitator, I have a few intents in mind if I’m working with a group at risk of being negatively impacted by the HiPPO. 

• Maintain respect and professionalism while addressing disruptive behaviors.

• Balance the HiPPO’s contributions with input from other participants.

• Prevent "groupthink" or overly hierarchical decision-making.

Strategies for Facilitating Around the HiPPO

Your strategies for working with the HiPPO should be on two fronts, preparation and in-the-moment. 

Preparing for HiPPO Management

A loose agenda or reliance on unstructured conversations not only fails to challenge your participants’ minds to push - it creates a stage at high risk of being dominated by the HiPPO. Here are a few concepts to keep in mind when planning your brainstorming session or collaborative workshop: 

• Set Clear Expectations at the Outset

  • Establish ground rules that emphasize equal participation and mutual respect.

  • Use anonymized methods like written brainstorming or digital polls to gather input.

• Structure the Workshop for Inclusivity

  • Use breakout groups to dilute the HiPPO’s influence.

  • Implement time-boxed discussions where each participant has equal time to speak.

• Use Neutral and Objective Techniques

  • Lean on brainstorming activities and frameworks like the “Newsworthy!” or SWOT analysis to keep discussions structured.

  • Focus on data-driven insights rather than personal opinions.

• Assign your HiPPO an Out-of-Session Leadership or Decision Making Role

  • If you know you’ll be dealing with a particularly persistent and disruptive voice in your HiPPO, consider assigning them a third-party decision making role outside of the main session.

    • Examples could include the role of “The Shark” to hear the big pitch, or the final decider in a 5-day product design sprint. 

In The Moment HiPPO Management

Even with planning, sometimes you’ll find the HiPPO coming in at inopportune or unplanned moments. Even if the ‘bonus input’ is well-intentioned, it can still be a disruptive or limiting force on your session. Here are some concepts to keep in mind for real-time adjustments with your HiPPO. 

• Engage the HiPPO Constructively

  • Acknowledge their expertise and role without letting it dominate.

  • Privately discuss expectations with them beforehand if necessary.

• Address Disruptive Behavior Diplomatically

  • Intervene tactfully if the HiPPO monopolizes the discussion.

  • Redirect attention to other participants with questions like, “Does anyone have a different perspective?”

Having that senior team member in your session is a blessing, it just takes a little extra care. 

Benefits of Managing the HiPPO Effectively

There are many benefits to to having a senior member of an organization in your session. 

The Ikea Effect is real - that leader’s participation in forging your collaborative solution can significantly help with buy-in.

Senior Expertise is its own source of insights and adds diversity to your overall brainpool - leading to more innovative outcomes. 

Leadership participation can help foster trust and confidence among team members. (There’s a reason we use workshops for solving big problems and building a team’s connection!)

Promotes a culture of collaboration rather than hierarchy. Few organizations aspire to be a bureaucracy - this shared experience can help tamp down some of those unnecessary barriers to open communication and the ongoing exchange of insights.

Tips for Organizations: Preventing HiPPO Dominance Beyond Workshops

This isn’t in the scope of a workshop, but if you find yourself with a HiPPO problem in your organization affecting regular meetings, working sessions, planning, etc. here are a few concepts for steering your culture towards diverse exchange of expertise and ideas and away from the best just one brain can accomplish. 

• Foster a culture of psychological safety in the workplace.

• Train leaders to recognize and mitigate their own biases.

• Encourage regular feedback on group dynamics and decision-making processes.

The HiPPO can be a blessing for your brainstorming sessions and workshops if the opportunities that person brings are planned for and managed well. With some upfront planning and a few tools in your back pocket for in-the-moment correction, this leader’s mind can add to your diverse brainpool. 

This isn’t a topic many folks often reflect on, so it’s likely on you as a facilitator to bring it up proactively. 

If you need help navigating this challenge and designing a goal-oriented collaborative workshop for your team’s biggest challenges - connect with IdeaAlloy!