Experimentation is an integral part of a business’ success, as described in Maxwell Wessel’s Harvard Business Review blog. However, the idea that consensus is not important in companies looking to test the market is not entirely accurate. Innovative companies do need to innovate constantly to remain current, but they need not lose the total integration of the business.

Wessel examines the fact that the time spent circulating ideas around is costly. Although this is true, many failed experiments also accumulate to produce a large cost. In order for a business to have a clear idea of its goals and its own identity, there must be an overall consensus among the different departments and individuals involved with its success.

Wessel also encourages businesses to not punish failure, but punish waste. However, tests that fail due to a lack of consensus within a business also seem like a waste of resources. Choosing to simply launch an experiment without indulging the ideas of those invested in the company’s interests and knowledgeable about its place in the market, is a complete waste of company intelligence. Consensus and the power of combined experience is one of the greatest assets a business has, and choosing to toss that aside in the interest of experimentation puts overall success at risk.