Civil Dialog: What We All Need Now!

Can We Bring Back or Sustain Civil Dialog in the Workplace to Solve the Complex Problems

We Face and Create a Civil Community?

Frame Work to Remember

All of life’s conflicts are between:

Letting go or holding on

Opening into the present or clinging to the past

Expansion or contraction of possibilities

Just a Little Context

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jymDn0W6U

Uncertainty Have you noticed------how lacking clarity is

clarity itself?

How, if you aren’t sure about something, alone has meaning?

Honor uncertainty. It is the womb from which all-knowingness comes.

The Blind Men and the Elephant

Emotional Intelligence Items

Reflective practices as a part of the inquiry process

Suspension of judgment

Taking others’ perspective

Empathy

Holding tensions between two different points of view

Practices “respective engagements”

Understands collective responsibility

Kohlberg’s Stages

Circle of Concern

Circle of Influence

Foundational Problems

Not wanting to advance to a new stage of moral or civil development

Can the staff members focus on their influence and not get caught up in unsolvable concerns?

Can individual staff members take personal responsibility to change their uncivil or disrespectful behavior?

Type of JusticeWhat is the Objection?

Utilitarian: Vote – the greatest number wins

Libertarian: I need consent; my rights, my beliefs, values, and freedom to choose

Communitarian: Common good, group membership, solidarity, loyality

Aristilian: Honorific, what is deeply deserved, valued or believed in

Why We Need Civil Dialog

Main reason: to solve complex issues we face in daily life and long-term relationship sustainability

Good and aware citizens for our nation, community and individual actions

Productive, safe, respectful and creative work communities

To make positive “inner work-life meaning”

Communitarians We all have to participate in civil dialog and

respectful engagements for the common good –students, families and educational settings that are corner stones of our society

We all have to be “emotionally intelligent “ and participate in complex problem solving

What If Staff Don’t Want to Be Emotionally Intelligent and Respectful

Engagers?

First you have to have an agreement with all stakeholders. The requirements need to be in hiring practices, job descriptions, meeting norms and staff evaluations

It needs to be clear that staff who are not willing or completely unaware, will be given a chance to change, however if no change occurs in reasonable time, needed consequences will be delivered

It’s Clear We Need to Work Together

In our daily work-life and solving complex issues, we need to all work together

We need to use tools, getting to YES, or polarity management to help us

Your community should not have bullying behavior, or dominating personalities that “derail” the communities’ actions

Getting to Yes! Separate the People from the Problem

Focus on Interests

Invent Options

Objective Standards

Create the Action

Action StepsHow will we gain or maintain the positive result from focusing on this left pole? What? Who? By when? Measures?

1.23.4.

Early WarningsMeasurable Indicators (things you can count) that will let you know that you are getting into the downside of this left pole.

1.23.4.

and

Greater Purpose Statement (GPS):Why balance this polarity?

Early WarningsMeasurable Indicators (things you can count) that will let you know that you are getting into the downside of this right pole.

1.23.4.

Action StepsHow will we gain or maintain the positive result from focusing on this right pole? What? Who? By when? Measures?

1.23.4.

TITLE:

Values = positive results from focusing on the right pole•••••

Values = positive results from focusing on the left pole•••••

•••••Fears = negative results from over focusing on the left pole to the neglect of the right pole

•••••Fears = negative results from over focusing on the right pole to the neglect of the left pole

Deeper Fear from lack of balance

Polarity Management

Dialog – Bohme Speak to be understood instead of pursued

All people feel the commitment/ownership to speak up

The facilitator or team member identifies the “gem” being created by the team and brings to the attention of the whole group

The whole group agrees with the “gem” in terms of total agreement, mildly agreeing or not agreeing with the “gem” but not going to sabotage it, either

What’s Important? The safe transportation of students to and

from school

We resolve issues using strategic tools and respective staff members

We try to create multiple positive options and not power over others with our truth

Respectful engagements is difficult, needed and should be a community norm

It Needs to Be US Courageous conversations are needed

between leaders and staff members and in between staff members

Without these courageous conversations, the community could live in decline, toxity and even sabotage

Finding your inner leader is critical to this task

Be Curious Civil dialog is a respectful behavior for

transportation communities

If individual staff is given chances and no change is seen, it will only help the community to have these individuals gone

It is important for all of us to stay reflective, respectful and ready to be the best we can be!

The End We all need to take personal responsibility to

be reflective, suspend judgments and create the best options for our transportation communities

There are effective tools, ideas, concepts and strategies in this work

Make the shop, your community a civil place for great accomplishments

Thanks!