you don't have to *do* what everyone says, but it's very important that everyone get to speak their mind. It produces much more of a sense of involvement in the whole thing...

Or it gets the yahoos all complacent so you can then do what you want to do anyway, a la Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

I often wonder this when I hear of new movements in an organization which invite commentary, and then wonder further if those new movements don't seem to produce any traction over months of effort. It's like Student Council taken into the real world.

However, I hope/expect that your company is not nearly so machavellian, and it bodes well, because certainly it can work well, if done with good intent.