Dialectical Forms of Leadership

Co-Creational Communication

A co-creational communication process is a collaborative way of communication in which the management accommodates the ideas of different people while making decisions. Unlike in the controlled process of communication where the people in power dominate the communication process, the co-creational process involves participation by all levels of employees, organization leaders, consumers, and various stakeholders (Theunissen, 2014).  I recently was an intern at Barcadi USA, and the company engaged the co-creational method in communication. For instance, during that period, the company’s clients were no longer enticed with gift cards, and so the management had to find alternative ways of ensuring active member engagement. As a result, the company invited different stakeholders in the mission of developing new marketing strategies. All, levels of employees were to select a few members who would represent them in the exercise. The company also invited their long-term partners KL communication and even suppliers to assist in the exercise. In her explanation, the president told the management that employing the method did not mean she did not value their ideas. Instead, the exercise was meant to bring new ideas from various line of thoughts in order to design a strategy that would be relevant and effective to all members of society. The exercise resulted in the creation of qualitative insights that the company was seeking. One significant advantage of co-creational communication is that it makes all employees feel important to the organization. The company also brings on board all members and even seeks professional advice when enacting policies regarding the employees. 

Ways of using language to manage meaning and performance in the workplace

Make expectations clear

A good leader communicates the general goals of an organization to all employees in a transparent way. The employees are guided through the simple steps that are required of all employees to achieve the company’s mission.  Managers should also convey their message in the fewest words possible to help the employees understand precisely what is needed and avoid confusion.

Creation of an open communication environment

Organizations should develop a conducive environment for communication where all employees are free to offer exciting ideas, share their feedback, and even criticize against issues that they feel are unhealthy to the organization (Fraser & Harden, 2016). Developing an open communication system helps employees to be more productive and creative since they can feel a sense of belonging by seeing their ideas being implemented. An open environment also helps to build trust between employees and management.

Employ an inclusive communication strategy

An inclusive communication strategy is one that invites all members to participate in the decision-making process (Ibnouf, 2015). Organizations should promote the participation of employees in making decisions as it makes them part of the organization. 

Avail crucial information to all employees

Organization leaders must ensure that everyone has vital information that may affect the business to avoid accidents or losses that could be prevented.  The information should also be passed across through various channels to increase the likelihood that it reaches all employees. The management should also ensure that important information keeps on rotating through emails or messages to remind employees or to inform those who might have missed the initial communication. 

Friendliness

Organizational leaders should use the appropriate tone when communicating to ensure that the recipient gets the actual meaning. Applying a friendly tone will encourage employees to share with you complains and ideas that could help improve the productivity of the organization. It is, therefore, advisable to personalize messages when communicating with colleagues. The tone of an individual’s voice includes the volume, the level of emotion, and the level of communication the individual chooses.

Ways of mastering dialogue and facilitating solutions

During the dialogue, all members must feel valued and equal so that they are free to air their views (Stone & Stone, 2011). The facilitator should also set the task for the group to ensure that everybody understands the goal of the process. To achieve these requirements, an excellent dialogue facilitator should master the traits below.

Deep listening.

Listening is the gist of facilitation, and it involves three kinds of listening. An excellent facilitator should listen to themselves by analyzing whatever is emerging inside them. A facilitator also needs to listen to the other individuals keenly and allow them to exhaust their ideas without interrupting. Finally, an excellent facilitator should listen to the collective by paying close attention and observing the reactions of the group.

Probing

Probing is also an essential aspect of facilitation as it helps create a conducive space for the participants to express themselves from where the facilitator continues to nudge them out of their comfort zone. The skill can be built by asking open-ended and also leading questions whenever the facilitator wants the group to make a choice. The facilitator can also start from the general picture and narrow down to specific questions.

Moderating

Moderating the conversation is also crucial, and it can be done through skillfully guiding back the participants to the main point whenever they veer off, managing energy through breaks and refreshments and also observing time (White, 2015). The facilitator should also encourage quiet members to speak. 

References

Fraser, G., & Harden, M. (2016). Workshop Design for Diversity and Dialogue: Women in STEM Empowered to Engage Across Difference. In Forward to Professorship in STEM (pp. 107-128). Academic Press.

Ibnouf, M. H. (2015). Evaluation of a training program in communication skills from prospective of livestock facilitators in Toker area. Journal Economic and Social Studies, 5(1), 81-89.

Stone, H., & Stone, S. (2011). Embracing ourselves: The voice dialogue manual. New World Library.

Theunissen, P. (2014). Co-creating corporate identity through dialogue: A pilot study. Public Relations Review, 40(3), 612-614.

White, B. (2015). Developing Social Justice Competence in Group Work through Intergroup Dialogue Co-Facilitation.