The Magic of Dialogue: Transforming Conflict into Cooperation

Citation

Mercado, M.I. (2002), "The Magic of Dialogue: Transforming Conflict into Cooperation", The Bottom Line, Vol. 15 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/bl.2002.17015bae.002

The Magic of Dialogue: Transforming Conflict into Cooperation

Yankelovich, D.Simon & SchusterNew York, NY1999

Keywords: Conflict, Communications, Face-to-face communications

Daniel Yankelovich is a leading interpreter of trends shaping US society and the global economy. For over 40 years, he has been an advisor to large corporations, government agencies, universities and communities. This book is built around his long years of observing communications in the business world. Yankelovich is of the opinion that, as a result of the expansion of businesses world-wide and the proliferation of diverse agendas, conversations and discussions are not enough to bring people and their different goals together. Consequently, what is needed is "dialogue," between and among different groups of people.

According to Yankelovich, dialogue is the specific process of seeking mutual understanding. That is to say, every day countless dialogues, formal and informal, take place between strangers, between people intimate with one another and among friends. These take place in a variety of settings and circumstances and most dialogues fail. However, those that succeed transform people's relationships in an almost magical way. This Yankelovich calls the "The magic of dialogue."

What is so special about dialogue? The author seeks to identify for the reader the special qualities of dialogue, which gives it its magical properties. Dialogue is a highly specialized form of discussion that imposes a rigorous discipline upon the participants. He states that dialogue has a quality of directness and is so structured that clarity is achieved concerning the position not only of the other party, but also of oneself. This highly specialized form of communication helps individuals and organizations devise strategies, which will enable them to conduct the kind of dialogue, to allow them to effectively present their position, meet their objectives and gain an understanding of their dialogue partner's position.

Yankelovich states that most people have two goals for doing dialogue: the strengthening of personal relationships and to solve problems. It is the latter that the author sees as growing in importance. Why? Because, in this world of a myriad global difficulties, individuals and organizations find themselves facing situations in which multiple events happen at once and urgently require multiple solutions. As a result, the need for relevant and accurate problem-solving methodology is strong in all sectors of international society, and the number of knowledge workers and the blurring in all kinds of boundaries are transforming relationships at all levels of business. Authoritarian, hierarchical style of business practices is quickly becoming passe. This style is being replaced by something called "relational leadership," where the defining task of leaders is that of developing webs of relationships with others, instead of handing down from the mountain-top commandments concerning strategies, visions and plans.

The author presents his ideas concerning the process of dialogue first, because of the trend toward forming strategic alliances with organizations, for the purpose of accomplishing a predetermined goal. This goal of forming strategic alliances often brings to the table different corporate cultures, traditions, structures and even languages. Without this discipline, the process of communication called "dialogue," misunderstandings almost always occur. Second, given the need to increase productivity, it is necessary to stimulate the maximum amount of creativity, innovation and initiative in workers. To accomplish that goal, they must be included and considered an integral part of the dialogue. Third, because of the growing importance of developing a strong consumer focus, a better understanding of the customer's needs requires a direct, honest discussion by all concerned of the needs of those customers.

Yankelovich's book is prefaced on the interesting idea that the purpose of dialogue is to clarify the issue or the problem. The process of dialogue requires, according to the author, that we penetrate behind the polite superficialities and defenses in which we habitually operate. To break this politeness cycle, those engaging in dialogue must listen carefully and respond with an authenticity that forges a bond between us. It is important to understand that the outcome of dialogue is not always harmony. In fact, as a consequence of the bonding caused by dialogue, one may discover and clearly understand the roots of the disagreement. In the future, this understanding may lead to agreement. For managers who are interested in conflict resolution, a reading of this book will provide some relevant insights into human behavior.

Marina I. Mercado