Organisational Dialogue
Conversation quality, style, type and intercourse associated with high performing organisations.
Each organisation is where it is today as a result of the conversations that have taken place in the past, the decisions that came from those conversations, and the actions or reactions that occurred because of those decisions.
So here is a simple question:
“If those conversations had been of a much higher quality, would the organisation be in a better or worse position today?”
And your answer is? Better or Worse?
This question has been asked of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of executives and managers, and the universal reply is ‘better off’. It’s obvious.
So if you want to improve the position of the organisation in the near and distant future, what will you need to do? Nothing – or improve the quality of conversation – or keep going with traditional development strategies?
If you selected improve the quality of conversation then you are right of course.
If you selected keep going with traditional development strategies then you are also right – providing traditional strategies have been working for you. However, answer this question:
“Will traditional development strategies work better or worse if we also improve our conversation quality?”
Again - it’s obvious.
“Can improving conversation alone bring about improved performance?”
There is evidence that suggests that this is so, but in fact what happens is that improved dialogue itself initiates conversations about things that need improving, leading to better understanding and implementation of traditional development strategies. There is more on this further on.
Further arguments that support enhanced conversation skills are provided when we consider some of the safe assumptions we can make about your organisation
- You are after high performance teams, be they shop floor teams or the executives team.
- You are after high performance individuals – at all levels of the organisation.
- You are after a high performance organisation.
How can you possibly believe that you will achieve these things without the support of ‘High Performance Conversation’?
Once more - it’s obvious. You can’t.
We have quality standards for so many organisational processes, yet the quality of one skilled process - conversation – while at the core of all decisions and actions, has been ignored. Why?
This logical argument provides an intuitive case in favour of enhancing conversation quality.
Research support for enhancing conversation skills
Now let’s merely glimpse at empirical evidence to justify the effort of improving conversation quality. Research results showing the link between conversation quality and performance, and unexpected benefits for 11 organisations that undertook to improve conversation quality, can be viewed from university records at http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20070228.135219/index.html). Alternatively, just read on here for a summary (the research document is very heavy going).
- There was a strong relationship between conversation quality and three key measures of strategic planning, strategic behaviour, and performance.
- When conversation was intentionally improved by enhancing ‘strategic conversation’ skills across all hierarchical levels, there were substantial improvements in strategic planning, strategic behaviour, and organisation performance.
- When conversation was improved there were 13 unexpected improvements detected and assessed. These were Efficiency of meetings, Effectiveness of meetings, Conduct of meetings, Transparency of meetings, Clarity of purpose & goals of organisation, Management professionalism, Employee development in strategic awareness, Skills at giving instructions, Strategic Risk awareness & process, SWOT skills & practice, Strategic planning skills, Management 'change' progress, and Org. 'system(s)' awareness. The average improvement score was 45%, while organisation systems awareness and managerial professionalism registered the two highest gains at 86% and 70% respectively.
So there’s the proof – better conversation pays off. But researchers aren’t allowed to call it ‘proof’; they’re only allowed to say something like ‘these notions associated with improving the quality of organisation conversation have been supported’.
The conclusions of the research were that high performance conversation…
- is based on specific conversation skills
- is linked with superior performing organisations
- can be learned
- is inexpensive to learn and implement
- can be used at all levels
- makes a difference
- starts at the top
- has no downside – no negative unintended consequence or cost
Some of those ‘high performance’ practice conversations could include topics such as ‘how we can improve our decision making processes’ and ‘how we can improve our implementation of decisions’. You may recall the opening sentence Each organisation is where it is today as a result of the conversations that have taken place in the past, the decisions that came from those conversations, and the actions or reactions that occurred because of those decisions. This conversation framework addresses each component of that opening sentence.
So there is a strong case for having a better quality of conversation.
Different forms of High Performance Conversation
High Performance Conversation is merely one of many labels for models or frameworks that offer a guide to better understanding the components and use of conversation. These models and frameworks offer a systematic approach to assessing and improving conversation skills and practice. Only one model has scientific & research support for its actual use in the workplace, but that doesn’t mean that other models are less effective – just that they haven’t been tested yet, other than by citing specific case studies. Case studies are good in that they prompt ideas and describe experiences. On problem with cases is that you don’t hear about the failures.
Some conversation models are linked to private labels that provide copyright privileges in the marketplace. This action is understandable when an individual has worked extensively to systematize an approach to learning and using conversation and wants to reap commercial rewards for the effort. There is a downside to this, similar to closed software versus open software – the open models of conversation, like the open programs of software, can be contributed to by many excellent minds. Think about the success of open products such as Wikipedia and Linnux.
Despite there being open and closed models of conversation, there are more similarities between the models than there are meaningful differences. The differences are probably best thought of in terms of emphasis, and this is usually indicated by the model’s label. Examples are strategic conversation, critical conversation, difficult conversation and fierce conversation. As with all decisions of choice, you should select the conversation improvement model that seems to best fit your needs, and not the one that is best marketed, or the one that you know worked somewhere else or was recommended by a friend. Your situation is different to every other and deserves full attention and a proper decision making process (Loh, L. and Venkatraman, N., 1992. Diffusion of information technology outsourcing; influence sources and the Kodak effect. Information Systems Research 3, 4.)
You need to have a conversation about how to improve the organisations conversation quality. Should fads be ignored? Not if they’re regarded as merely one of many options and if they would be executed properly (Gibson, Tesone, 2001, Management fads: Emergence, evolution, and implications for managers, The Academy of Management Executive, 15, 4, 122-133)
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