Why you need to build a culture of conversations?
Despite the best of social media tools, a face-to-face dialogue over your favorite drink still remains the best mode for sharing ideas and exchanging knowledge. Looking into the eyes of the person sitting a few feet away, rapt in attention to every word you are about to say, vividly feeling the whole range of emotions while being fully aware of its repercussions in flesh and blood is an experience that cannot be replaced by any technology. However, technological tools and distant relationships in business among other factors have driven us far enough to make believe that it's possible to have effective communication by ignoring the power of in-person conversations.
As a point of reference, let us take a look at Coffee shops - a business that has helped script innumerable ideas in business, culture, arts, politics and many other spheres of life. A chapter in the history of English Literature that always fascinated me was the role and influence of coffee houses on literature. The books say that coffee houses like 'The Wills', 'The Buttons', 'The Graecian', 'The Bedford', 'St. James', 'The Cocoa-Tree', 'Lloyds', 'Jonathans', 'Garraways' and many others were hubs of activity in London. People would gather and sit around a table having long conversations. A vivid picture was painted of an English gentleman smoking his long, clay pipe, and sipping a dish of coffee, reading the newsletters of the day. The first newspapers to be printed - 'The Spectator' and 'The Tatler' were supposed to have evolved as a result of these informal but regular gatherings.
Extending that thought a little (just a little), it's easy to see why messages are successfully consumed and comprehended only when the intended audience finds them without much effort.
Be it in organizational setting or social situations, it is necessary to create an environment conducive to exchange of thoughts without fear or hierarchy. Coffee shops (most of them) provide an environment that supports that behavior. It is proven beyond doubt by time, experience and science that progressive ideas are bound to emerge from a coterie of open-minded individuals getting together, developing a sense of comfort with each other, and engaging in a conversation. In a setting that is devoid of prejudice, judgement, premonitions and predetermined positions.
If we extend the coffee shop concept to organizational communications, some notions will be laid to rest. For example, believing that all engaged employees are actively seeking out the latest updates from their leaders. It's common knowledge to everyone that organizations are always looking for better ways of reaching out and relating to its employees. Some of them do better than others but largely companies struggle with what can be the over-communication syndrome. People either complain of too much coming down a narrow pipeline (weekly newsletters from various departments sent via email for instance) or passing on irrelevant and jargon-filled, boring drivel about things no one really cares.
Some of the things that pass off as conversations in large organizations include: meetings, brainstorming sessions, chats, messengers and blog-versations, grapevine and gossip, and of course every other conceivable kind of training from soirees in parks to brown-bags and happy hours. They all have their specific function and dysfunctions, but none of them can ever replace a proper conversation.
Ever wondered why smart and intelligent individuals get together, and arrive at collectively mediocre decisions?
The answer is either in the overwhelming dependence on consensus or with a few well-prepared folks with axes to grind drilling their ideas down everyone's throats. Meetings scheduled on a calendar are controlled environments with a set agenda where "work never happens". A constructive informal conversation rarely takes place in a meeting. Most members of the group sit around waiting for the meeting to end, so they can go back to their desks and continue doing whatever they were doing earlier - an obligatory task. "I had so many meetings, I could not complete my work," is a common refrain we hear in most offices. Similar to meetings, brainstorming sessions have specific agenda driven down by a few people. Rarely do sessions like these achieve their primary objective of generating fresh new ideas. Brainstorming has to be viewed as an announcement for all the creative thinkers in the organization to train their grey cells. It's actually scary to think that ordinary ideas created out of social compulsion becomes the holy grail of many important do or die campaigns.
Don't get me wrong; chats and messengers are very useful tools. Especially if you are located some distance away from each other. They also function as great supplementary tools for putting a point across when you are in a hurry. Also, to attend that important lecture you had paid for long ago but need to wait out a bad razor burn on your face. Another area where they are very useful is for online education - study at your own pace and place.
Are some organizations at the losing end of the technology change? Are they unconsciously destroying the critical skill of conversation? The culture of conversations goes beyond creating deliberate opportunities to converse. It requires a purposeful intent on the part of the organization to encourage its employees to participate in conversations, and among others share tacit knowledge.
The Conversation Cafe as a Knowledge Management tool has increasingly gained in importance. Thanks to eminent leaders in the field like David Gurteen and Nancy Dixon, more and more organizations are reaping the benefits of conversation as a tool.
From my experience, it appears that only a handful of organizations actively nurture a fearless culture that supports extraversion. At best, most leaders like to see an introverted workforce. Rather ironic, if you consider the fact that a majority of leadership texts associate extraversion with leadership, and most organizational leaders put restrictions on the very trait they (badly) need to be able to accomplish their goals.
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Anand Rao is a New York City based freelance writer, communications strategist and change catalyst. His articles published here are based on his own experiences working with many organizations, primary and secondary research, and opinions.
Original cartoon produced exclusively for this article by Bangalore based cartoonist and illustrator Balraj K.N.