Most people have watched the presidential debates during the election time. All candidates are required to present their cases and do their best to poke holes or find problems in other candidates" arguments. The goal of the debate is to win or sway people to accept a certain point of view. A discussion is explained as the exchange of idea similar to a debate where differences are expressed. Both debates and discussions are heavy on critique and advocacy. On the other hand, the dialogue is a form of communication where all parties desire to reach a deeper level of understanding. It requires a special kind of speaking and listening where different parties suspend judgment to evaluate different assumptions, perspectives, and beliefs (Senge, 2014).
When dialogue is implemented in a learning organization and team, it becomes easier to build a language that addresses various complexities and focuses on significant structural issues instead of focusing on issues such as leadership style and personality. Dialogue should be a core mandate of systems thinking so that teams and organizations can be productive. Dialogue assists a team in developing and aligning the capabilities and capacities of a team to create improved results that are desired by its members (Gunnlaugson, 2014). Dialogue builds on a shared vision and personal mastery and assists the team to work together. When a team communicates efficiently, they not only do they offer better results for the organization but also the team development exercise will be faster and more efficient.
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The discipline of every developing team begins with ground rules and a successful dialogue, a capacity of the members of the team to suspend all their assumptions and take part in a genuine ‘thinking together.' The participants should then regard all the team members as colleagues. Furthermore, there should be a facilitator or a team leader who will hold or direct the topic or context of dialogue (Senge, 2014). When a team regularly enters into a dialogue, they develop a unique relationship. Moreover, they develop a deeper trust and a richer understanding of the significance and uniqueness of other people’s point of view. One of the objectives of dialogue is developing a larger pool of meaning from the team.
There are various lessons on how to design an efficient dialogue session. The objective of dialogue is to learn and understand each other. There is no "winning" in a dialogue. When members are participating in a dialogue, they should speak for themselves and not as representatives of special interests or groups. In a dialogue, all the members are equal, and all the stereotypes, roles, and status should be left out completely (Senge, 2014). The individual should not rush into any form of judgment. Every member should listen and be open even when they disagree on various issues. Furthermore, the team should look for common ground or shared vision that will focus their energies and skills to a particular goal.
One of the challenges to a successful dialogue is ensuring that participation is not narrow. In most cases, the loudest or the person who talks frequently drives the decision making. A proper dialogue should involve even the quietest member of the group. The other issue is time constraints. In most occasions, people have demanding jobs, families, and social circle (Gunnlaugson, 2014). It may be difficult to set aside time to dialogue with the team. At times, the meeting time is insufficient to evaluate the issues facing the group fully. The other challenge is ego. People have different personalities, and it may inhibit free thinking and affect their contributions to the team. It may influence them to lack interest in the discussions, and they may reduce their contributions to the team or participation.
References
Gunnlaugson, O. (2014). Bohmian Dialogue: a Critical Retrospective of Bohm’s Approach to Dialogue as a Practice of Collective Communication. Journal of Dialogue Studies , 2 (1), 25-34.
Senge, P. M. (2014). The fifth discipline fieldbook: Strategies and tools for building a learning organization . Crown Business.
