Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

Dialogue
A small group of people seeking a common understanding through a specific process called
dialogue.
Supports: knowledge sharing, knowledge creation, individual and organizational
learning, group collaboration, creating a shared/common understanding
LEVEL OF EFFORT
SIZE OF UTILITY
SCOPE OF WORK
LOW
SCALABLE
WIDE
Dialogue is the capacity of members of a group to suspend assumptions and enter into a
genuine thinking together. Dialogue is a process used by David Bohm in 1992 to create a
situation in which group members participate as coequals in inquiring and learning about some
specific topic. In essence, the group creates a common understanding and shared perception
of a given situation or topic.
Dialogue is frequently viewed as the collaborative sharing and development of
understanding. It can include both inquiry and discussion, but all participants must suspend
judgment and not seek their own outcomes and answers. The process stresses the
examination of underlying assumptions and listening deeply to the self and others to develop a
collective meaning. According to Senge, dialogue involves gathering and unfolding meaning
that comes from many parts, as well as inquiring into assumptions, learning through inquiry and
disclosure, and creating a shared meaning among group members.
Two dialogue tools are: The Left Hand Column (below) and The World Café (listed
separately).
Left-Hand Column
The left-hand column dialogue tool is based on the premise that during conversations there
are actually two conversations taking place. The conversation that is explicit consists of the
words that are actually being spoken throughout the exchange between two or more persons.
The other conversation consists of what the individuals are thinking and feeling but not saying.
The term "left hand column" is derived from an exercise designed to explore what is not being
said but is being thought during the course of a conversation. This "tool" offers a way to actually
study our conversations so that we can re-design them to be more effective in creating desired
results.
People need an introduction to this tool before it can be used effectively as a group. Here is
an exercise to introduce it to a group:
Step 1: Choosing a Problem. Select a difficult problem you've been involved with during the
last month or two. Write a brief paragraph describing the situation. What are you trying to
accomplish? Who or what is blocking you? What might happen? Examples include (1) the rest
of the organization is resisting—or you believe they will resist—a change you want to
implement, or (2) you believe your team is not paying much attention to the most crucial
problem.
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