Skip to main content

Dialogue session

In organizations where people work together managemant to deal with differences in personaly, differences in values and so on. Every person is unique and observes reality through the the lenses of their values and experiences. These differences can make working together into a great strength. When we can benefit of each other’s talents and unique skills for the same goal everyone wins. Working with people with many different values is also challenging because what is acceptable for one person is considered inappropriate for another. Talking together about the norms and values within the organization can lead to more harmony. Having insight into the different perspectives can also help you to create clear policy of what is and is not acceptable within your organization.
During dialogue sessions, we go deeper into these kinds of questions and we enter into a dialogue with each other as a team or department.
A practical example, a colleague in a department of a media company had very high expectations of himself and also of his colleagues. If he was not completely happy with the work of his colleagues, he could express his displeasure intensely. One of the ways he did that was by slamming doors. His colleagues didn’t say anything about that, they knew him and he just did this his thing and sometimes it just wasn’t fun to be around the person in question.
Who do you want to be as an organization, how do you let everyone in his or her value and where do you draw the line.

Why is this useful for your organization

Talking together to explore which behavior is or is not appropriate shows your staff that you prioritize having a safe working climate and that you appreciate the input of the employees. A dialogue session can also be a good step to create a policy on transgressive behavior that everyone can agree with.
To come back to the practical example, after the dialogue session in which the question arose, among other things, is loudly slamming a door inappropriate or transgressive behavior or is it not… That question caused a moment of clarity in the mind of the relevant colleague. He hadn’t realized at all that his behavior had an impact on the atmosphere. He was particularly shocked by the idea that his colleagues may not have felt safe enough to confront him about his behaviour. He has promised improvement, which has improved the atmosphere and productivity drmatically.

Dialogue session

In organizations where people work together managemant to deal with differences in personaly, differences in values and so on. Every person is unique and observes reality through the the lenses of their values and experiences. These differences can make working together into a great strength. When we can benefit of each other’s talents and unique skills for the same goal everyone wins.
Working with people with many different values is also challenging because what is acceptable for one person is considered inappropriate for another. Talking together about the norms and values within the organization can lead to more harmony. Having insight into the different perspectives can also help you to create clear policy of what is and is not acceptable within your organization.
During dialogue sessions, we go deeper into these kinds of questions and we enter into a dialogue with each other as a team or department.
A practical example, a colleague in a department of a media company had very high expectations of himself and also of his colleagues. If he was not completely happy with the work of his colleagues, he could express his displeasure intensely. One of the ways he did that was by slamming doors. His colleagues didn’t say anything about that, they knew him and he just did this his thing and sometimes it just wasn’t fun to be around the person in question.
Who do you want to be as an organization, how do you let everyone in his or her value and where do you draw the line.

Why this can be useful for your organization

Talking together to explore which behavior is or is not appropriate shows your staff that you prioritize having a safe working climate and that you appreciate the input of the employees. A dialogue session can also be a good step to create a policy on transgressive behavior that everyone can agree with.
To come back to the practical example, after the dialogue session in which the question arose, among other things, is loudly slamming a door inappropriate or transgressive behavior or is it not… That question caused a moment of clarity in the mind of the relevant colleague. He hadn’t realized at all that his behavior had an impact on the atmosphere. He was particularly shocked by the idea that his colleagues may not have felt safe enough to confront him about his behaviour. He has promised improvement, which has improved the atmosphere and productivity drmatically.

What does a dialogue session look like

A dialogue session can have different forms depending on the organization and the purpose of the session.
The essence of the dialogue session is that we talk to each other to investigate what the specific norms and values are of your employees when it come to inappropriate behavior and how that relates to the policies of the organization. What is ok, or what is not ok, how do you deal with it when you observe something that doesn’t feel right. We use various interactive tools that can help you gain deeper insight into these matters.

1. Introduction

We start each dialogue session by getting to know each other so that means an introduction. Who am I and what is the purpose of this specific dialogue session and a short intro on transgressive behavior.

2. Presentation

I start with a presentation with several practical examples of appropriate or inappropriate behavior. This is intent to make people contemplate and reflect on what is ok or not.

3. Interactive input

We use interactive tools to map the different perspectives of the employees on the given examples. This will give insights into the different viewpoints and we will use that to start a discussion.

4 Sharing

After we have examined the different perspectives of the employees, we come to a consensus. Its good to take some time for sharing on what is and what is not desirable within your organization.

5. inventorize

Now that it is clear what is and is not appropriate and we have made an inventory of all that, we will write it down and check with the employees if it is complete.

6. Agreement

We have decided and so we make clear agreements with each other. For instance  how do we deal with inappropriate behavior when we are confronted by it?

7. Questions

There is room for questions and feedback and then we end the session with a short summary of what we have done and we take some time to reflect on the session.

8. Rapport

With the input from the dialogue session I make a report with recommendations that can be implemented in the code of conduct or the policy on transgressive behavior.

I want a dialogue session, what now?

Do you want to talk to each other as an organization through a guided dialogue session or are you interested  in the workshop “working safely” and how to deal with transgressive behavior? We are happy to be of service to your organization. The first step is an introduction and discussing the wishes and expectations of the dialogue session. Each dialogue session is different and adapted to the specific needs of the organization. Feel free to contact us, we respond to a request within 24 hours and we can often quickly schedule an appointment to get acquainted.

Costs

A dialogue session has different forms depending on the size of the group, the purpose of the session and the wishes of the organization. We like to be transparent about the costs, so we always make a quote in advance. In addition to the financial investment, a session also requires some time, usually consisting of half a day.
A dialogue session is also a preventative tool that can help to resolve underlying tensions. This increases harmony within a department or organization and can help prevent absenteeism due to illness.
If you would like to use our other services, please do not hesitate to contact us.
 

I want a dialogue session, what now?

Do you want to talk to each other as an organization through a guided dialogue session or are you interested  in the workshop “working safely” and how to deal with transgressive behavior? We are happy to be of service to your organization. The first step is an introduction and discussing the wishes and expectations of the dialogue session. Each dialogue session is different and adapted to the specific needs of the organization. Feel free to contact us, we respond to a request within 24 hours and we can often quickly schedule an appointment to get acquainted.

Costs

A dialogue session has different forms depending on the size of the group, the purpose of the session and the wishes of the organization. We like to be transparent about the costs, so we always make a quote in advance. In addition to the financial investment, a session also requires some time, usually consisting of half a day.
A dialogue session is also a preventative tool that can help to resolve underlying tensions. This increases harmony within a department or organization and can help prevent absenteeism due to illness.
If you would like to use our other services, please do not hesitate to contact us.
 
Close Menu