Is there a word or phrase for questioning authority?

Question

I'm looking for a word or phrase that questions authority but not to the point of open defiance. As an example:

Boss: I think my plan is the best plan and we're going with it.

Employee: Well, it may be the best plan, however, what about it makes it the best plan? What about other plans that haven't been looked at? Maybe we should look at them before making a decision.

In this scenario, the employee wasn't angry but also at the same time just didn't submit and go along with what the boss said (A.K.A. not a yes man).

Answer 1

I would suggest the word "to subvert or subversion" as it challenges the power of the authority in an objective, critical way which could raise doubts about the legitimacy of this authority without being openly aggressive. You can look it up in Oxford dictionary or any other trusted ones.1

Answer 2

I don’t know about single words, but perhaps you could describe such a person as someone who doesn’t take things at face value.

Answer 3

Referring to that employee as a skeptic or skeptical might be appropriate. There are a couple of caveats, though.

1) The original meaning of skeptic referred to a school of thought that questioned whether real knowledge was even possible. The scenario given in the question doesn't really go that far, but if the employee has a long history of asking for further analysis of plans drawn up by managers, the word might fit with one of its more contemporary interpretations.

2) Speaking of modern interpretations, the word skeptic has taken on a new shade of meaning. There is a certain brand of "skeptic" these days that denies, rather than questions, the existence of certain things. I'll avoid getting into any of that, but suffice it to say that the word has taken on a bit of a negative connotation.

Note also that the employee in the question isn't really questioning the authority of the boss, but is instead questioning the nature of the plan and the viability of other plans. The fact that it's the boss' plan seems secondary. If the employee was questioning the boss' authority, that might be something else. I might say that employee was undercutting, undermining, or maybe even back-biting.

Answer 4

Argumentative dialogue

It consists in engaging in a dialogue between parties with the aim to solve disagreement by weighing arguments for and against in a constructively critical manner.

Answer 5

Freethinking (or free thinking). Cambridge dictionaries defines this as:

forming your own opinions and beliefs, especially about religion or politics, rather than just accepting what is officially or commonly believed and taught:

• We want our children to grow into freethinking, confident adults.
• She advocates freethinking views on religious issues.

Historically it particularly relates to religion (Wikipedia), but it is often used more widely, including in business contexts. For example Ronald James Group, a business consultancy, asks:

what is important to you in creating freethinking workspaces?

If you search business-related websites such as LinkedIn you'll find many other uses of the term.

Answer 6

If you want a verb, you might try "oppugn."

For adjectives, I can't think of anything precise, but you might try "contumacious" or "obstinate" (to imply stubbornness if not rebellion) or "refractory" (to imply a kind of troublesome independence).