William N. Isaacs' take on dialogue

Isaacs' working definition of dialogue is that it is a discipline of collective thinking and inquiry, a process for transforming the quality of conversation, and in particular the thinking that lies beneath it. It is evident in the articles I read that Isaacs' idea of dialogue developed along the same lines as Bohm--he quotes Bohm extensively. Others whose work was influential include Buber, Kurt Lewin, Argyris, and Wittgenstein.

Isaacs is the director of the Dialogue Project at MIT's Organizational Learning Center. The Dialogue Project has conducted action research experiments on dialogue and organizational learning in a variety of settings around the world. "The intent of the project was to explore the validity of dialogue and to contribute in the development of practical knowledge about it" (Project Annual Report, 1993-94). Isaacs and his colleagues wanted to derive a working definition of dialogue; contribute to a developing theory of dialogue; and gain practical knowledge of what is required to initiate and operationalize dialogue in communities.

Isaacs made a significant contribution to our knowledge about how to make dialogue happen in organizations that have traditionally used adversarial approaches to governance and methods of interaction. They include the seven principles for the exploration of thinking and the idea of providing a "container" in which dialogue can take place.

Phases for the evolution of the container

• Instability of the container is the initial phase when participants have concerns for safety and trust which they must move through, leading to
• Instability in the container, when members struggle with polarization and conflict due to the clash of personally held beliefs and assumptions. It may take a lot of time to surface these conflicts. Suspending these beliefs can lead to
• Inquiry in the container, with people inquiring into polarization and fragmentation. At this phase people often experience collective pain as the depth of disconnection is held by the group. This phase leads to
• Creativity in the container, where new understandings based on collective perceptions emerge and people engage in more generative thinking together.

Facilitation

Examining the field notes and transcripts and looking at emerging themes revealed an important aspect of creating containers of dialogue: the role of the facilitator and the facilitation team. This proved to be the most challenging part of the project. The project realized that facilitation for dialogue requires an advanced form of group process, systems work, and leadership development. Facilitators need the abilities to create the level of openness and attention necessary for dialogue to happen.

Initial Guidelines for Dialogue

• Suspend assumptions and certainties.
• Observe the observer.
• Listen to your listening.
• Slow down the inquiry.
• Be aware of thought.
• Befriend polarization.

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Go to Dialogue from Peter Senge's Perspective

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