Conversations for a Change
By: Peter Block
 Whether
in a society or an organization, the culture is in many ways defined by
the way we talk, the language we use, the nature of the debate and
dialogue we engage in. In fact, one of the first things we notice when
we move between cultures is the change in language.
There has been a lot
of attention given to the power of language, recently focusing on the
difference between dialogue and discussion. I want to offer a very
specific device for realizing change through the way we speak to each
other. How we talk about our experience may be as equally important as
what we “do” about it.
Too
often we try to change a culture by focusing on the structure, on the
rewards or on the roles and core competencies. These carry a certain
logic, but are best preceded by an effort to talk about things that
matter in a way that we have not done before. It is the newness of our
words to each other that creates the groundwork for changes in
practices. Joel Henning nicely frames it with “the way to change the
culture is to change the conversation.” Optimism is born the moment we
are surprised by what we say or surprised by what we hear.
Ending the Broken
Record
The
first step is to agree to stop having the old conversation. When you are
in a hole, the first thing to do is to stop digging. As a start I would
like to see a six month moratorium on the following conversations:
--- The importance of having the
support of top management
--- How workers do not want to be
empowered
--- That leaders need to provide a
good role model
--- How to hold people accountable
--- How to get people on board and
aligned
--- The need to be customer focused
--- How to do things faster and
cheaper
--- How to give more choice to the
people close to the customer
--- The need for a clear and common
vision
--- The ground-rules for dialogue,
consensus, teamwork, decisions and feedback
--- The importance of systems thinking
and whole system change
--- The call for servant leaders and
the end of command and control
--- The need for continuous
improvement
All
of these points are true. It is just that they have become useless to
talk about. They have become habitual language and we have become
anesthetized to their meaning and depth. These words, because of their
popularity, now belong to someone else, not to us. The phrases get used
for persuasion and political advantage, not for their capacity for human
connection. They have become the party line and evoke unconsciousness
and keep us frozen in the comfort of routine.
What You Can Do When
You Bring People Together
The task, whether you are facilitator, boss or member of a group, is to
evoke a new conversation. Here is a recipe for change you can cook
tomorrow:
1. When you are convening a meeting
of five to a 100 people, set the simple goal of having them engage in a
conversation they have not had before. You do not need to know what the
new conversation will be, only that having it is the point of the
meeting. It does not matter what the avowed purpose of the meeting is.
It can be anything: goal setting, problem solving, team building, state
of the union, whatever.
2.
Get rid of the tables, if at all possible. Tables are good for leaning
and eating, but the absence of tables is best for surprise and unrest,
which is the essence of change. Ignore the typical complaints that they
will have no place to put their water bottle or notes or elbows. Just
chairs. If they feel too exposed, tell them to cross their legs and
arms.
3. Begin the meeting as you normally
would. Welcome them, state the purpose, set the context. At some point
put them into small groups, no larger than 10 people.
4.
Let them discuss the agenda in whatever typical fashion they are used
to. After 10 minutes, ask them how it is going? What are they learning?
What has surprised them? What you will mostly hear is that the
conversation was business as usual.
5.
Now it gets interesting. Tell them that for the next few minutes you
want them to have a conversation they have not had before. It has to be
related to the purpose of the meeting. But tell them that any hope,
change or growth they might have come for, will only occur through a new
conversation.
6.
Tell them to sit in a circle with their knees no more than nine inches
from the person to their left and right. Not 10 inches, not 14 inches.
Nine inches. You walk around the room to urge them into this
configuration. You will notice that this forces them to lean forward and
engage. Diabolical, but effective. For those who complain, smile and
offer a glazed look. Think of the last meeting you attended and the look
will come naturally.
7.
Now tell them they have 20 minutes to have a conversation, related to
the agenda, they have not had before. If they cannot think of anything
new to say, ask them to sit in silence. Better to be quiet than return
to a routine that has no meaning. This is the space where we stop
digging deeper the hole that we are in.
8.
After 10 minutes, stop the talk, and ask them how it is going. Many of
the groups will say that it is still the same old conversation. Tell
them you understand, but this time you are serious. Have them continue
the conversation, but you will be coming around to check on them.
Restart the groups. Now walk around and ask each one if it is a new
conversation. If it is not new, ask them to be silent until it is. Tough
love here.
9.
Tip: If they are struggling, suggest they agree to not talk about anyone
not in the room, to focus on their part in creating the world in which
they find themselves, or talk about their feelings about not being able
to find a new dialogue for themselves. Make these suggestions as a last
resort.
10.
Bring the whole group back together and ask them what they noticed.
This structure will bring life, tension and energy into the room. I have
tried it many times, often in moments of desperation, and it has never
failed me. If it does not help, you can call my hotline at
1-800-DISAPPOINT.
If
it does help, it gives hope that each time we come together, we have the
capacity to transform our experience. This is how culture changes in the
moment, and if we do it often enough, maybe even the larger national
debate that is numbing in its predictability, will start to shift.
Change and its cousins, surprise and unrest, are always within our
reach. They are just waiting for us to design them into existence.
Happy New
Year......and if you try the above, let us know how it goes.
This
article appeared in
News for a Change published by AQP in January 1999
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