Change Managment

Change Management

Tiffine C. Bourland

Business 4802

08/19/16

Differences between dialogue, discussion and debate

In an organizational setting, learning is facilitated through dialogue and there exist variations between debate, dialogue, and discussion. The following are the key differences between the three;

Dialogue primarily refers to a communication whose central goal and objective is the establishment of an agreement, from perspectives that are not the same and that are different. Dialogue is relatively different from a debate in that communication in a debate works towards outwitting one another between two parties and with the objective of winning in such an argument (Cushman, & King, 2005).

Discussion, in the context of communication, differs from dialogue in that though two parties share their ideological perspectives, there does not exist a motive to come to an agreement or a central ground between the two sides. The parties’ do not either discuss with any intentions of working to a point of understanding (Polsky, & Gerschel, 2010).

The value of dialogue in helping a team to learn and change

Dialogue plays a monumental role in facilitating the learning as well as in promoting change in a team. Dialogue helps a team to learn in that it contributes towards diversity in the perspective of those that participate. Diversity helps a team to get to acquire new knowledge and information regarding value additive experiences from the different points of view in a dialogue. The innovativeness of a team is enhanced through dialogue, and this is as a result of learning and the acquisition of new information and knowledge from diverse points of view. Dialogue, therefore, is a valuable tool for team learning in an organizational set up (Cushman, & King, 2005).

Dialogue is essential in facilitating the adoption of a change in a team and a corporate setting. Through dialogue, the team leader is capable of providing a point of view regarding a change that is collective and that works towards mediating a consensus relating to the value of change (Hiebert, & Klatt, 2001).

Ground rules to reach this level of conversation

There are fundamental ground rules that are central for successful dialogue. One of the key ground rules is active listening for every party that participates in a dialogue. A dialogue does not involve contention or competition to prove the superiority of one’s ideas. Active listening must be adhered to for dialogue to continue.

Another ground rule is not to contest or argue to invalidate the perspective of the other party that takes part in a dialogue. The sharing of an individual’s personal point of view or story is critical and not judge others or try to dispute their story (Hiebert, & Klatt, 2001).

Another ground rule in dialogue is not working for an agreement for the parties involved but rather, working towards gaining an understanding of the perspective of a different party. Understanding is the central goal of obtaining a common ground.

Designing an effective dialogue session

To successfully design a dialogue session, there are key aspects that ought to be considered. The first and relatively important consideration that should be put in place are ensuring that those that participate in the session have an understanding of the ground rules that ought to be adhered with. Ensuring that disrespectful or discounting words are not used in the dialogue is essential in designing a successful dialogue session (Hiebert, & Klatt, 2001).

Ease or Difficulty of conversing at this level

Conversing at the level is faced by key challenges. A major challenge is ensuring that one’s personal opinions and bias are entirely avoided in a conversation during a dialogue. This is most definitely a huge challenge. The perspective given during a conversation in dialogue could be indirectly and unknowingly watering down the point of view perspective individual involved in the dialogue. This further makes conversing at the level of a dialogue challenging (Cushman, & King, 2005).

 

References

Cushman, D. P., & King, S. S. (2005). Communicating organizational change: A management perspective. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Hiebert, M., & Klatt, B. (2001). The encyclopedia of leadership: A practical guide to popular leadership theories and techniques. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Polsky, L., & Gerschel, A. (2010). The Perfect phrases for communicating change: Hundreds of ready-to-use phrases for maintaining focus and productivity during organizational change. New York: McGraw-Hill.