Generative Dialogue in the Public Sector

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Elaine Ahumada
October 11, 2024

At a time when the world is watching presidential candidates competitively debate and defend their beliefs, the demonstration of effective communication may be waning in the process. Contrary to debate is the art of generative dialogue. Public sector leaders who employ generative dialogue may realize the rewards of a more harmonious workplace. Adhering to the principles of generative dialogue can increase trust, accountability, self-reflection and authenticity among employees. The core principles of generative dialogue enhance an organization’s climate, improve problem-solving and allow teams and direct reports to view the art of conversation in new and innovative ways.

Generative dialogue allows leaders to foster a sense of personal accountability while also nurturing interpersonal relationships. This approach can pay dividends in the long run, resulting in less turnover, higher job satisfaction and increased employee motivation. The technique is effective online or in person and can aid in professionally developing a workforce. Mindful leaders can employ generative dialogue if they desire collaborative and empowered employees.

Organizations require an exchange of information on a variety of fronts. How leaders ascertain that information, inquire, validate, course correct and engage their employees more often than not causes higher levels of distrust and less willingness for subordinates to share thoughts. In some cases, individuals may feel disrespect. Certainly, these actions are not by intention but perhaps a need for more awareness in effective dialogue. 

Applying a few generative dialogue strategies include:

Focus on inquiry with others through thoughtful questioning, less talking and more listening. Often, leaders of positional authority inherently praise others to demonstrate desired outcomes for the collective good. Praise itself is not feedback; it is about the person and not the behavior. Leaders can consciously refrain from being perceived as the source of positive and negative comments and instead work to be a catalyst for eliciting others’ ideas, thoughts, and opinions. For example, instead of stating how well someone is meeting an objective, consider asking them what they think of their own performance. This approach allows for employee autonomy by soliciting self-reflective information to the conversation. Mentoring accountable and autonomous employees should be the goal for any leader. Self-reflection helps with professional development and taking ownership of one’s actions.

Refrain from filling up the airspace with personal stories and long-winded history of the organization. Leaders may often default to sharing organizational anecdotes or personal accounts of lessons learned and organizational assumptions. Alternatively, by allowing for a climate of openness to hear other’s perspectives, leaders will avoid the trap of fostering passive employees. The ability for individuals to be authentic should be the goal so that each employee has a stake in their organizational reality.

Work on active questioning. Leaders who adapt to generative dialogue are purposeful in practicing the art of questioning to advance the process of idea sharing. Questioning negates the leader’s perspective as someone who always informs folks of how and what to do and instead builds trust and collaborative coherence among employees. A myriad of perspectives can result in firm commonalities as opposed to groupthink or one person’s narrative. Nothing is worse than employees who resign to never speaking up because a leader fears losing control. All too often, the overbearing leader who is insistent upon persuading and convincing employees runs the most significant risk of nurturing assertively defensive individuals.

For more robust and in-depth information, Otto Scharmer’s Four Fields of Conversation lays out a protocol for communication development to include the four stages: 1) Downloading—Talking Nice: Commencement of Conversation, 2) Factual Debate—Talking Tough: Defense of Ideas, 3) Empathetic Dialogue & Reflective Inquiry—Talking together: Listening Takes the Lead. These three stages ultimately end with the fourth field, Generative Dialogue—Talking Beyond: Unleashing Collective Creativity. 

Ultimately, generative dialogue requires the commitment of courageous leaders. Strong and confident leaders can enact to being authentic, bold and self-aware. Pursuing and learning to refine generative dialogue techniques will enhance the experience of the leader and those whom they manage. The interactions with people one supervises can be transformative because dialogue is void of debate. Collective thinking, listening and reflection are potent attributes for realizing progress and discovering the self and others. Curiosity, compassion and empathy are a few byproducts of generative dialogue. These outcomes aid in maintaining a healthy workplace when political and social tensions are at an all-time high. Striving to achieve mutual understanding and proactive problem-solving and allowing generative dialogue to flourish may give a new context to how one may anticipate the nuances of interpersonal and organizational relationships. Whether formal or informal relationships, generative dialogue can catalyze dynamic organizational change.

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Author: Elaine Ahumada, DPA – Dr. Elaine Ahumada has taught Public Administration and Public Policy courses over the past twenty years. She is the Director of the Doctoral Program in Public Administration at California Baptist University. She has extensive practitioner experience in non-profit consulting and serving on boards for regional non-profits in Southern California. [email protected]

 

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