What is the Dialogic Method?
What is the Dialogic Method?
The Dialogic Method is an approach that draws on multiple disciplines including mediation, behavioural science, management theories, institutional theory, systems thinking and more to offer a transformative way of thinking and doing that can yield a range of value-positive outcomes across sectors – Business, Government and Society.
It has supported various individual actors, communities and organisations to define, understand, and solve complex problems, and has been applied by more than 1,35,284 end-users creating an extensive footprint of over 5 Lakh lives impacted in diverse fields such as peace building, leadership, education, gender, climate change, criminal justice, policymaking, and organisational culture shift, among many others.
How the Dialogic Method works
Dialogue serves as a means to improve the throughput of complex systems by optimising flows. It does so by operating at three layers of Self, Situation and System, thereby filling interstitial gaps, which then allows for individual, intermediate and systemic actors to operate cohesively to drive change at various levels – direct, at scale and exponential.
What makes the Dialogic Method work?
Dialogue serves as a means to improve the throughput of complex systems by optimising flows. It does so by operating at three layers of Self, Situation and System, thereby filling interstitial gaps, which then allows for individual, intermediate and systemic actors to operate cohesively to drive change at various levels – direct, at scale and exponential.
It is
1
Self
Dialogue functions as a key baseline capability for nodal actors – from community changemakers to corporate leaders. It serves to enhance agency and efficacy by distributing problem-solving capacities and increasing ability to engage and co-create with others, towards collective leadership that drives responsive decision-making.
Situations
Dialogue offers tangible ways to harness differences in perspectives and active conflict towards co-creating value-positive outcomes. By addressing the motivations and interests of all involved and seeking to align varied needs towards shared outcomes, it sets the foundation for change in future approaches to complex situations involving multiple stakeholders.
Systems
Dialogue drives change exponentially and at scale by building collaboration into systemic structures. By creating shared language and narratives towards effective understanding, action and coordination amongst key stakeholders, it maximises efficiency and sustainability in the use of resources towards creating a culture of net-positive change, solutions and actions. In addition, it catalyses innovation and drives the collective gestation of new solutions to entrenched, often wicked problems across society, business and governments.
The
Framework
Focussed on core principles of value creation (as distinct from value distribution), emphasis on self-determination of participants to ensure crafting of inclusive and sustainable solutions, and harnessing the power of a non-binary approach, the Dialogic Method framework lays out steps for individuals, organisations and communities to Engage (participate in) and Enable (create and hold spaces for) dialogic solutioning across a spectrum of situations.
It is
Self
Dialogue functions as a key baseline capability for nodal actors – from community changemakers to corporate leaders. It serves to enhance agency and efficacy by distributing problem-solving capacities and increasing ability to engage and co-create with others, towards collective leadership that drives responsive decision-making.
Situations
Dialogue offers tangible ways to harness differences in perspectives and active conflict towards co-creating value-positive outcomes. By addressing the motivations and interests of all involved and seeking to align varied needs towards shared outcomes, it sets the foundation for change in future approaches to complex situations involving multiple stakeholders.
Systems
Dialogue drives change exponentially and at scale by building collaboration into systemic structures. By creating shared language and narratives towards effective understanding, action and coordination amongst key stakeholders, it maximises efficiency and sustainability in the use of resources towards creating a culture of net-positive change, solutions and actions. In addition, it catalyses innovation and drives the collective gestation of new solutions to entrenched, often wicked problems across society, business and governments.
Read about our work across Self-Situations-Systems with Gram Panchayat Village Federation members and communities in rural India.
FROM THE BLOG
Read about our work across Self-Situations-Systems with Gram Panchayat Village Federation members and communities in rural India.
FROM THE BLOG