The defensive cycle

This picture represents a collection of comments that we heard in one organisation that was pushing through budget cuts.  Employees felt their jobs were under threat, so were unwilling to speak up about the pressure they were coming under.  Unable to prioritise or say no, they become less productive, inviting further pressure, and so the cycle continued.  When everyone’s feeling under threat our natural defensive inclination is to hide our... [Read More...]

Voicing – what’s not spoken about in your organisation?

This picture was originally one of a series we have produced to visualise the key themes from Bill Isaacs’ Dialogue model, one of several dialogue models we’ve played with over the years.  This picture speaks to the theme of “Voicing”.  Here’s Isaacs’ description: To speak to your voice is perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of genuine dialogue.  Speaking your voice has to do with revealing what is true... [Read More...]