The importance of dialogue for collaborative organizations ?
TheVUCA environment organizations operate in, challenges organizations to :
■ develop their capacity for change & learning, link professionals & expertise, tap into the energy and passion of everyone...
■ develop the organization as a flexible network, with professionals contributing in different teams, roles, capacities...
■ pursue active and real involvement of all stakeholders, welcoming diversity and embracing social responsibility
■ incite autonomy, initiative, distributed leadership, transversal collaboration
■ stop looking at things as 'cause-effect' chains and use the 'strenght' of the 'complex system' to chaise moving targets
It is simply no longer possible for a management board to take decisions and then 'pass it on' to others for execution.
The issues are extremely difficult to understand, the solutions not evident, the implementation too complex, the need for stakeholder involvement unrivalled and the intermittent challenges too volatile to even think you can still create a clear vision, translate it into objectives and roll it out as a project plan.
Carefully planned and orderly executed and controlled processes will simply no longer do the trick. The complexity of the challenge is the reason why an organization is becoming a network of professionals and teams, all taking initiatives (not executing orders) based on their sound judgement within a common generative image. People will construct from there, flexible and changing coalitions with other professionals to make things happen.
That can only be done when 'dialogue' is the basic fabric of the organization. Evolving from a 'communicative framework' where decisions are at best explained to all others in the organization, over a 'consultative framework' where stakeholder are consulted and listened to before decisions are made towards a truly co-creative, dialogic framework that is 'making meaning' and enables people to contribute their energy, passion, expertise and experience to further their common ambition. In such a context every member and stakeholder is a partner in that dialogue.
That is fundamentally different from the 'industrial, mechanistic' type of organization we have known so far, where an 'employer' bought the time and expertise of professionals in order to pursue his 'objectives'. That model is no longer viable. Instead of the conventional "create a vision - get buy in (or buy it ?) - execute" approach to planned change, we need new conversations that : disrupt habits and embedded meanings; bring increased diversity into conversations so that creativity and innovation are heightened; energize networks of motivated people to propose and try small experiments that, probe emergent practices that eventually could become transformational changes.
Organizations can no longer be 'All-Inclusive Travel' but needs to be an 'Adventurous Trekking' where the trip is made by the bunch travelling as they move on.
In these video's David Snowden explains why a top down leadership is not working in a complex environment and Gervase Bushe explains that the idea of a 'vision' as a clear target to get to in project steps is not working anymore and how it could be replaced by 'generative images'.
Distributed Leadership towards a Common Ambition
Generative change is a 'mindset' about change in organizations, that is challenging the foundations of the planned change approach that is still very common in most organizations.
Planned change is based on these premises :
Generative Change is looking differently at the environment organizations are operating in and acknowledge the fact that the most pressing problems organizations face today are not the 'operational problems' a planned, project like approach can deal with, but complex problems for which the cause-effect relationship far from transparent.
The way Generative Change dynamics try to deal with that new VUCA situation is to :
The two 'key features' in the Generative Change approach that make the most of a difference are the use of Generative Images (iso Corporate Vision) and the use of 'Probes', self-organized innovations which are very different from the project based approach in the Planned Change model.
This different mindset around change also leads to a completely different change process, not based on analysis, vision, communication and implementation, but based on shared ambition, co-creation and probes.
In 2020, all organizations had a collective experience of 'organizing in uncertainty' during the Corona crisis. That is an ideal starting point for such a learning and change process. From this shared experience, everyone can be involved in the dialogue around the question: "what is the challenge for our organization in uncertainty, complexity and change (adaptive challenge) and what can be the 'shared ambition' for us, from which each of us can contribute autonomously as well as in close collaboration with others. An ambition that all stakeholders can be enthusiastic about and which creates space for people to contribute from their experience, passion, expertise and energy, in very different ways and yet coherently. That shared ambition takes on the role of 'coördination and direction' that otherwise vision, strategy, directive leadership had to provide. It enables distributed leadership in the organization.
Such a process takes place in three major phases. The specific methodologies (click for overview) that are used within these phases must be adapted to the culture, size and possibilities of each organization.
In this dialogical process, generating an image of our common ambition, a number of principles apply that ensure the dialogue is truly inclusive and that the passion and expertise of all stakeholders is really translated into that 'generative image', so that everyone will really, and of their own initiative and motivation commit to that ambition.
In the probes and in the daily behavior of that 'redesigned organization' after this dialogical, generative change process, it is crucial that the same values are also taken into account and become part of the 'theory in use', the culture of the organization.
Marshak,R. & Bushe, G., (2018), Planned & Generative Change in Organization Development. OD Practitioner, Vol. 50 ,No. 4
Bushe, G., (2020), The Generative Change Model – creating the agile organization while dealing with a complex problem. From : The Dynamics of Generative Change. In : BMI Series in Dialogical Organization Development. BMI Publishing.
Bushe. G. (2020) The Dynamics of Generative Change. In : BMI Series in Dialogical Organization Development. BMI Publishing. (link BMI website)
Bushe. G. (2019) Generative Leadership. Canadian Journal of Physician Leadership, Volume 5, Number 3
Snippe. R. (2014) Doorbreek uw bedrijfscultuur. Hoe managers organisatieontwikkeling tegenhouden. Academic Service (online bookreview in Dutch)
Wierdsma, A. F. M. (1999) Co-creatie van Verandering. Eburon. (available online in Dutch only)
Actively promoting dialogue in your organization?
■ Scanning tools and processes■ Process design and facilitation■ Coaching of Leadership Team■ Large Group Activities
Build an organization that sets the scene for dialogue. Avoid 'walls' between individuals, teams, expertise areas, roles, positions, etc... Diversity and Inclusion are the key 'pointers' for organizational design. Leadership : Is it about rules, controle, difference in status, power... or is it actually triggering initiative, experiment, contribution and collaboration. Set up the dialogue about culture, values, leadership and more so about what we actually do and if it creates sustainable value for all.
■ Organizational Design Advice■ Coaching Leaders & Teams■ Cultural & Behavioral Analysis■ Facilitation Design Teams
■ Facilitate Communities of Practice■ Coach Intervision groups■ Coach & Consult L&D teams■ Design Learning Strategies & Tools
■ Design Strategic HR policies■ Analyse impact of current HR practices■ Performance Management processes■ Coaching HR leadership team
■ Team Crafting Exercises■ Team & Team leader Coaching■ Teamwork & -planning Tools■ Experiential Games■ Project Management Support
■ Team Crafting■ Workplace and Job Design■ Career Coaching (Partnership OrientaEuro)■ Consulting on Employee Welbeing
How can we make this work in your organization?
Knowledge only Grows when Shared!
The Move! website provides info on our projects, our approach and a lot of extra resources and information on Organizational Development.
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The Move! learning app has extra resources and information on Organizational Development and allows to purshase our Toolkit.
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This site is fully dedicated to the 'Learning Organization' and you find info on distributed leadership, co-creation, intervision, communities of practice, experiential games, jobcrafting etc...
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This website explores the notion of Generative Organisations, fertile soil to givergent thinking and autonomous initiative, behaviors we so desperately need in an unpredictable and ambiguous context. We explore a number of HR practices, try to understand what makes them 'not generative' and what are generative alternatives. Go to our website!!
This is our Move! E-book on Distributed Leaderschip. Click on the cover to access it. (also available in Dutch)
Switch it on is a handy toolkit with 25 activities to trigger organizational learning. You find all info and a handy webshop to purchase the tool as hardcopy or pdf-link.
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Move! Talks consist of a number of video contributions in which Clement shares with you several ideas to innovate your organization in order for people to really be able to contribute their expertise, experience, passion and energy and help the organizion towards sustainable performance and sustainable development.
If you hover over this video you can acces the full Move! Talks playlist (top-right)
Move! is a small OD practice, creating customized services for organizational challenges in customer organizations. We work out of our Belgian office throughout Europe and occasionally beyond. We work in Dutch, French, English and Spanish for all types of organizations, big and small, profit and social profit. Read more here.
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