Unit 3 Developing Effective Dialogue in Decision Making

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Overview

In Unit 3 we move from talking about what makes a good decision into things that contribute to the ability to make a decision. We will focus on dialogue: chatting, leading a meeting, giving direction, congratulating, counseling, and instructing. These are a few of the ways we dialogue. A dialogue is a back and forth sharing of information. You want to share ideas, dream dreams, and build trust. In organizations, these are the factors that must be duplicated over and over.

In this unit we will look at what dialogue is, what gets in the way of meaningful dialogue, and how dialogue leads to action. We will walk the path from indecision to decision that stems from effective dialogue.

Topics

  1. What is dialogue? It all begins with dialogue
  2. What are the roadblocks to successful dialogue?
  3. When talk becomes action

Learning Outcomes

  • Describe key factors that contribute to dialogues
  • Describe how dialogue is defined differently in different cultures/situations
  • Describe the pitfalls in dialogue
  • Identify key areas of dialogue killers
  • Examine the relationship between effective dialogue and dialogue becoming action

Activity Checklist

  • Activity 3.1: Read Case Study and Reflect
  • Activity 3.2: Review Key Terms (Drag/Drop)
  • Activity 3.3: Role Play – to build or not to build
  • Activity 3.4: One-page reflection on national dialogue
  • Activity 3.5:
    • Read Chapter on Making Decisions
    • Review Key Terms (Drag/Drop)

Resources

Here are the resources you will need to complete this unit:

3.1 What is dialogue? It all begins with dialogue

It all begins with dialogue is the premise Ram Charan makes in his article “Conquering a Culture of Indecision.” He makes a direct correlation between the effectiveness of dialogue and the effectiveness of decisions. We will begin by reviewing a case study presented in Charan’s article. It speaks clearly of how dialogue can actually change the direction of a company while demonstrating respect for others.

Case Study

In the article Conquering a Culture of Indecision by Ram Charan, see the section titled “It All Beings with Dialogue”. Read the case study about the company Unit Head and CEO. Below is a summary that demonstrates the way that simple dialogue can change the course of a company.

Upon hearing the presentation of the Unit Head, the CEO could have ridiculed the Unit Head because of the unacceptable presentation. Instead, he began a dialogue of sharing ideas, coaching, and came up with new ideas to benefit the organization.

Key points that describe the turn-around:

  • The Unit Head’s proposal was flatly rejected but did not walk away.
  • The CEO did not assert his authority or diminish the Unit Head as a person.
  • They shared a dialogue and creative ideas began to flow.
  • Through that dialogue, a new plan developed, exceeding expectations

Some observations:

  • The Unit Head expected the CEO would be impressed with the presentation, and the CEO expected that the Unit Head would bring a strong presentation
  • The expectations were not met for either
  • Dialogue began between the CEO and Unit. Newer and better ideas ensued.
  • The Unit Head respected the CEO, and the CEO respected the Unit Head.
  • This allowed for creative dialogue. New and creative ideas evolved which changed the course of the company.

Some What-Ifs:

  • What-If the Unit Head felt rejected and just walked away?
  • What-If the CEO got frustrated and dismissed the Unit Head?

Lessons Learned:

  • With dialogue, the future of the company can be enhanced.
  • Dialogue in the company is supported when people demonstrate mutual respect.
  • Dialogue is at the heart of successful organizational decisions

Learning Activities

Activity 3.1: Case Study Questions

In your Group, identify 3 lessons learned from the Case Study about the company Unit Head and CEO. Share and compare these lessons with others in your group. Lastly, identify the things allowed for effective dialogue in an organization.

Questions to Consider

After completing the activity above, consider the following questions:

  1. Who or what drives many of my decisions?
  2. Do I actively participate in dialogue or do I simply follow the dialogue of others?

Note that the Learning Activities are ungraded, unless otherwise specified. They are designed to help you succeed in your assessments in this course, so you are strongly encouraged to complete them.

3.2 What Are the Road Blocks to Successful Dialogue?

Photo by Vlad Bagacian on Unsplash

“I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do is anyway.” - The Bible, Romans 7:19, NLT.

No one sits down at a meeting and says, “I hope I say something inappropriate that causes others to be quiet and not give their opinions.” We enter a meeting expecting the dialogue to go well, we can stay on the agenda, and everyone leaves satisfied. That is what we hope. But as much as we want that to happen, we often fail.

The reason? Charan calls these “Dialogue Killers”. See pages 62, 63 under the box entitled Dialogue Killers.

  • Dangling Dialogue: Confusion prevails and the meeting ends without a clear next step.
  • Information Clogs: There is simply not enough information to make an informed decision.
  • Piecemeal Perspectives: Please hang on to their narrow views of self-interest.
  • Free-for-All: The leaders fails to direct the flow of the discussion so group members will get side tracked

Learning Activities

Activity 3.2: Review Key Terms

Note, you may be asked to consider these questions in your discussions for Unit 3.

3.3 When Talk Becomes Action

In organizations, dialogue is critical for effective decisions. An organization starts out with strong dialogue that includes planning and dreaming. As time goes by, the dialogue becomes clumsy; talking and effective decisions are fading. What happens?

In Unit one we looked at the many things that impact decisions. It is difficult to even get to the point of decisions when the ability to dialogue is lost. New budgets, new employees, corporate take-overs, conflicts, misunderstandings, and restructures are a few of the things that get in the way of effective dialogue. Effective decision making becomes less than effective.

How can we have dialogue that becomes action?

Charan discusses three primary ways to turn dialogue into action. The following three topics give an overview of the necessary factors to turn dialogue into action. Refer back to Conquering a Culture of Indecision, in the section How Dialogue Becomes Action.

  • Intellectual honesty: Trust and respect each other
  • Social operation mechanisms: Know who and when to talk to. Make the environment comfortable for open discussions
  • Openness
  • Candor
  • Informality
  • Feedback and follow through: Listen to suggestions. Do what you say you are going to do.

Learning Activities

Activity 3.3: Role Play - to build or not to build

The citizens of the town of Smithville, population 1,500, decided to build a new school within the next two years. Smithville has $500,000 of government funding for planning and development; additional funding is available as plans are finalized. For the past 50 years, school children have traveled 10 miles each way to attend the Mars school.

Image by weisanjiang at Pixabay

  1. Your Group will role play this scenario, debating the reasons to build and not to build.
  2. Things to consider could be: Safety, best use of resources, traffic, community investment, tradition, taxes.
  3. Each student will become their own “person” in the dialogue, taking up one or two of the things to consider. Your “person” may be: Kind and gentle, contentious, have grudges, or just stuck in the past.
  4. Develop your “person” as you go along. The Role Play will last 3 – 4 minutes. (Choose one person to be the time-keeper.)
  5. After the role play, spend 5 minutes discussing why or why not this was a successful dialogue.
    • Did everyone have the opportunity to be heard?
    • Did anyone monopolize the conversation?
    • Was there affective (emotion based) conflict?
    • Was there cognitive (fact based) conflict?
    • Did the group listen and show respect toward others?

Activity 3.4: One-page reflection on national dialogue

  1. The response to covid-19 brought world -wide changes and decision making. Identify the role of dialogue in response to quarantine mandates.
  2. Write a brief reflection on this dialogue and how you would determine if the dialogue was effective.

Your responses can be further developed in the forum post for this unit (see “Discussion Forums” tab)

Activity 3.5: Read Chapter and Review Key Terms

Read Making Decisions, pp 3 – 12.

Unit 3 Summary

Dialogue is the basic unit for decision making. As we have learned in Unit 3, dialogue is the basic unit for personal relationships as well as professional organizations. Effective dialogue requires honesty and trust, good communication structures, and honest feedback. Dialogue, like every aspect of a decision, is fragile. In conducting business meetings, effective dialogue requires that attendees must know what is expected, have the correct information available, and put aside self-interest that dictates the dialogue process. Successful dialogue will include coaching. Finally, it includes goal setting to move the organization to the next level.

Assessment

Take the following ungraded practice quiz.