British people maintain clear separation between disagreeing with someone’s ideas and their relationship with that person. You can think a colleague is completely wrong while respecting them fully. This enables honest intellectual exchange without social cost.
The key is framing: attack the argument, never the person. “I think that approach has some problems” is fine; anything that questions someone’s competence or character is not. After vigorous disagreement, relationship continues normally.
This separation means you can push back on British colleagues’ ideas without damaging the relationship—they expect this. It also means their politeness does not indicate agreement; they may like and respect you while thinking you are mistaken.
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