courageous conversations
Courageous Conversations – a new concept
Complement or alternative
Courageous Conversations can be organized in addition to or as an alternative for…
- an instrumental approach (e.g. anonymous climate surveys; risk analysis)
- a procedural solution (e.g. formal complaints; sanctions)
- an organisational interventions (e.g.transfer; demotion; dismissal)
- an individual approach (e.g. coaching; remediation)
…in dealing with difficult situations on the work floor.
These approaches seldom lead to sustainable change or an open and productive culture.
Courageous Conversations are an alternative when mediation is no longer possible, or when a mediation process has not resulted in the desired change.
PREVENTION: INVEST IN AN OPEN GROUP CULTURE
Of course you can also choose Courageous Conversations from a preventive perspective.
It can be an investiment in collectively learning to talk about issues that really matter, also when it is a little harder.
In doing so, you build an open group and organisational culture. You develop a collective competence that nowadays is more than ever critical: dealing with differences and tension.
choosing a collective approach
In Courageous Conversations we go back to the basis of dialogue. The intention is to speak openly and listen with curiosity.
The core of this intervention consists of one or more facilitated group conversations.
These dialogues are prepared in a thorough and careful way. Where necessary, we provide extra support and follow-up.
This collective approach offers you powerful leverage to bring movement in what is stuck and to bring clarity in what was unexpressed in your team, department or organisation.
And of course this is exciting and difficult. But not impossible!
When you succeed in addressing and exploring unproductive habits and collective patterns, they can change.
This will allow you to grow beyond the protective mechanisms that kept you stuck and unproductive (e.g. avoiding; distancing, hardening, pleasing).
When are courageous conversations a good option?
- When difficult issues create tensions that potentially lead to conflict
- Open, hidden or repetitive conflicts
- Old pain that keeps consuming energy and results in heaviness and a negative atmosphere
- Stuckness in collaboration leading to frustrations and feelings of powerlessness
- Painful experiences on the work floor that have hurt people and groups
“Conflict is rarely just a dispute between two people. Indeed, most workplace conflict is supported either directly or indirectly by many people.
The most common support is through silence, or simply not acknowledging that there is a conflict.
Therefore conflict can only be resolved effectively by the participation of everyone involved in or impacted by it.
This is the reason why so manyt two-person mediations fail. Even if these two people settle their differences, remnants of the conflict often linger that can be a catalyst for future conflict.”
For whom?
Different kinds of groups in professional situations that are prepared to engage in a courageous conversation about differences, tensions, conflicts and traumatic experiences.
For instance:
- Excecutive committees
- Boards of Directors
- Management teams
- Project groups
- Teams
start at the top!
Be an inspiring example and role model for your collaborators and organisation by choosing to engage in a courage conversations.
‘Walk your talk’ if it is your ambition to change the organisational culture.
WhAT could be the benefits of a courageous conversation for us?
A difficult situation or conflict is openly addressed and people take responsibility to talk about it
An opening towards more social safety in the organisation
Oxygen in the heaviness and movement in what was stuck
Painful experiences get space so people can process them, distill lessons and leave the past behind and emerge stronger
Restore damaged working relationships and – step by step – rebuild trust,
Resilient groups and teams with conflict competences in your organisation
A productive culture with healthy dynamics and more openness
A well prepared courageous conversation – in a safe social container – is a good choice!
are you interested?
Would you like to know more about the vision, the benefits, the way of working, the approach of a courageous conversation, the added value of Generative Scribing, and the organisational details?
Let’s talk about it!