Organisational dialogue essay

Although man has experimented with various modes of communication for many years, it was the discovery of speech and language, which was a true breakthrough in the history of communication. With this in mind, it can be said that a dialogue is a method of communication which brings people together through the usage of speech and language. ‘Dialogue can be considered as a free flow of meaning between people in communication’ (David Bohm, 1985 pp.25-26). In other words, it can be viewed as an approach to communication which involves leaving judgments behind, listening to the voice of others, valuing the differences amongst people and always being in an inquisitive state in order to gain a shared mental understanding (Gerard & Elinor 2001). However, this shared mental understanding is limited by current cultural rules about interaction and communication in large organizations. (Schein 1993). Therefore, it can be said that dialogue is a must to any organizational transformation and can act as an adhesive in binding various people present in organizations together.
The main argument provided in this essay is that a dialogue can positively transform organizational cultures. First, this essay will discuss further the concept of dialogue and practices of dialogue. Then, the way practices can impact organizational culture will be explored. Finally, some of the challenges associated with it will be examined.
Dialogue can be described as an honest conversation in the most simplistic from. There are many ways in which the nature of a dialogue can be described; ‘a river of meaning flowing around and through the participants’ (Bohm et al. 1991, p. 2).While engaging in dialogue, assumptions are emphasized upon and uncovered, as are areas of clashing views that may normally be hidden .The perception is that when people define their truth they are speaking from a particular viewpoint. Consequently, for any situation potentially many descriptions and explanations should be

References: David Bohm & Krishnamurti, J. 1985, ‘The Ending of Time ’ , Voctor Gollanez, London Gerard, G Schein E.H., 1993, ‘On Dialogue, Culture and Organizational Learning’ Organizational Dynamics. Autumn1993, vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 40-51. David Bohm, Donald Factor & Peter Garrett, 1991 ‘Dialogue - A proposal, viewed 26 August 2014, < http://www.david-bohm.net/dialogue/dialogue_proposal.html>. Gergen , K. 2009, ‘Social Constructionism: An invitation to social construction’ , Sage Publications, London, England Isaacs, W Isaacs, W. N. 1999 , ‘Dialogue and the art of thinking together: a pioneering approach to communicating in business and in life’, Bantam Doubleday Dell, New York Arnett, R Senge, P. M. 1990, ‘The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization’ , Bantam Doubleday Dell, New York Cissna, K Cox, Taylor H. 1991, ‘Effects of Ethnic Group Cultural Differences on Cooperative and Competitive Behavior on a Group Task’ The Academy of Management Journal, vol. 34, No. 4, pp.827-847 Iles, P Raelin, Joseph A. (2012), ‘Dialogue and deliberation as expressions of democratic leadership in participatory organizational change’, Organizational Change Management, vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 7-23