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CHAPTER 9: LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION 271

Exhibit 9.5 Dialogue and Discussion: The Differences

Conversation

Lack of understanding, disagreement,
divergent points of view, evaluate others
Dialogue Discussion

Reveal feelings State positions
Explore assumptions Advocate convictions
Suspend convictions Convince others
Build common ground Build oppositions

Result Result

Long-term, innovative solutions Short-term resolution
Unified group Agreement by logic
Shared meaning Opposition beaten down
Transformed mind-sets Mind-sets held onto

Source: Adapted from Edgar Schein, “On Dialogue, Culture, and Organizational Learning,” Organizational
Dynamics (Autumn 1993), p. 46.

Participants in a dialogue do not presume to know the outcome, nor do they sell
their convictions.
One way to understand the distinctive quality of dialogue is to contrast it with
discussion. Exhibit 9.5 illustrates the differences between a dialogue and a discus-
32
sion. Typically, the intent of a discussion is to present one’s own point of view and
persuade others in the group to adopt it. A discussion is often resolved by logic or
by “beating down” opposing viewpoints. Dialogue, on the other hand, requires that
participants suspend their attachments to a particular point of view so that a deeper
level of listening, synthesis, and meaning can emerge from the group. A dialogue’s
focus is to reveal feelings and build common ground, with the emphasis on inquiry
rather than advocacy. As discussed in the Leader’s Bookshelf, dialogue is particu-
larly useful for conversations about difficult and emotionally charged issues. Henry

Bertolon, cofounder and CEO of NECX, an online marketplace that was acquired
by Converge, introduced dialogue to improve communication after a period of rapid
growth led to internal tensions. “We’d have meetings that just melted down,” he says.
“Everyone would scream at each other and then leave.” Bertolon hired Wil Calmas,
a psychologist with an MBA, to lead a series of programs to get people talking—and
listening—to one another on a deeper, authentic level. People were encouraged to
express fear, hostility, frustration, secret wishes, whatever feelings were affecting their
lives and work. The dialogue sessions created a safe environment for people to reveal
their feelings, explore ideas, and build common ground. Bertolon also believed it
helped employees be loose, fl exible, and open to new ideas—ready to respond to the
rapid changes taking place all around them. 33