A Safe Place for Dangerous Truths: Using Dialogue to Overcome Fear & Distrust at Work

Submitted by WorkCreatively on Thu, 04/23/2009 - 07:04

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Title	A Safe Place for Dangerous Truths: Using Dialogue to Overcome Fear & Distrust at Work
Publication Type	Book
Pub Year	1999
Authors	Simmons, A.
Publisher	AMACOM
Keywords	conflict, dialogue, fear, passion, retribution, trust, work-life integration
Notes	retribution"In a strict hierarchy, when someone in power has the reputation for retribution, it would be irresponsible to encourage the discussion of dangerous truths. One time I believed a manager's self-description as 'open-minded and empowering.' Introducing dialogue into her group was a mistake. She was not open-minded and had a reputation for shooting the messenger. The result was agony--two hours of people squirming in their seats, eyes darting longingly toward the door, and no one daring to tell the truth." (p. 194) dialogue"Dialogue gives us an opportunity to balance the emphasis we have placed on doing and blend it with a reflective stage to consider together who we are being and what that means. Much of our contact with other human beings occurs at work, and to pretend that we need only concern ourselves with the doing part is to miss a big piece of the equation. Dialogue brings us back to the important conversations that can dispel the fears, overcome the distrust, and release the passions we want to bring to the work we do together. We discover that what we have together is more powerful and resilient than the dangerous truths from which we hide. We find that facing those dangerous truths builds an esprit de corps that is not possible with a less courageous group." (p. 198) conflict, work-life integration"When you agree to dialogue, you invite disclosure of deep levels of conflict. The process strips back the superficial and reveals core issues. I have worked with groups where the core issues included personal issues as well as business issues. We may have been able to separate our personal lives from our professional lives ten years ago, but the new demands of business require our whole being. When we bring our whole being to work, business becomes more personal. Ignoring that fact severely limits your ability to build cohesion with a group."
URL	http://books.google.com/books?id=nYRYHQAACAAJ

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