Eddie,
You wrote in part: "Finally, I have made a number of requests to this group
either for
info. on relevant literatures or to open a discussion regarding the role of
conflict in LO/OL- to no avail. DO I take it then that conflict is not
currently perceived by LO leading lights as being critical to the field's
devlopment or
the constructs internal validity?"
Dale,
You wrote in part: "I'm a relative newcomer here, and don't know of your
earlier attempts to
start a discussion about conflict, so I can't comment on why it hasn't
happened here.
I'm pretty sure I have some things to say, but I'm having some difficulty
knowing where to start to address your questions. My initial reaction is:
of
*course* there will be conflict, and of *course* it plays a role in learning
organizations. After saying that, I'm not sure what to add. Could you
perhaps ask a more specific question or two? Or maybe offer some of your
thoughts to
get us started?"
I'm going to assume we have now started the thread (Role of Conflict) to
make this dialogue possible...
I'm also a relative newcomer here but on this topic I have several different
reactions given my experiences at my company and in attempting to play a
role in organizational development efforts with a group of external
consultants.
I've felt conflict among us as the consulting team and when efforts from
either myself, the external consultants OR the management clients have been
made to directly address it or surface it there's a fair amount of denial
and defensiveness amongst us about dealing with it. I wonder about our own
"learning" ability or disability.
Also, of course there is to be expected, conflict as hard working, fast
paced, over stressed people try to get the work of a major multinational
company done on a daily basis.
One of the thoughts I have had is that instead of trying to analyze the
source of the "feelings" of the conflict situation, I believe we need to use
the tension that's there as the creative contention which can stimulate new
"learning" for the organization and the individuals. Treating each other
with the respect and colleagueship implied by "dialogue" seems a fundamental
of appropriately and constructively dealing with conflict.
Net, Net: It seems to me that the central concept of Dialogue vs Discussion
is an effort to orchestrate interaction inside the organization. To make it
behaviorally and culturally the norm to understand differences in beliefs,
values, perspectives which in my experience is the primary source of most
organizational conflict (either those or the pursuit of resources/power).
To give positive and encouraging agenda time to listening to the other's
position, beliefs, values, etc.
These sound so much like conflict resolution and mediation methods I can't
accept that LO/OL people have ignored conflict it's just that they seem to
have incorporated it in other ways.
Regards,
Ron Carter (carterro@merck.com)
--ronald_carter@Merck.Com (Ronald Carter)
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>