A profound truth about organizations is that communication is the lifeblood of the 'body corporate'. Unless the lifeblood flows, and flows well, the corporate condition becomes gangrenous. That's generally a fatal condition.

Communication is particularly important in a Learning Organization because it's the pathway to meaning. We might all be exposed to data, information and even intelligence and yet miss some vital element of its proper meaning. If so, then the true consequences and impact are lost. What we don't know can, and will hurt us!

Meaning is discovered when two or more persons collaborate with a specific purpose in view. Perspectives on issues are offered, shared, examined, assessed and prioritized. Every party gains new insights and the group as a whole learns something more than the sum of the individual contributions. It all happens at the interface.

There are obstacles, for sure. We've all experienced them. There are hard or intractable positions, seductive superficialities, assignments of blame, simple misunderstandings and misconstruances, and, above all, the pervasive anxiety and fear, together with innumerable variations. The list goes on!

The real challenge is to 'focus forward'. This is the primary role of the leader in a Learning Organization. To accomplish this, three skills are required - the skill to question constructively, the skill to listen actively, and the skill to respond effectively. A few ideas about each.

The heart of constructive questioning lies in making enquiries that appreciate and value whatever merit already exists – building on the positive ground that can be recognized and shared by all concerned. These are not questions that mask statements of mastery and control. As management guru Peter Drucker said, “The most common source of mistakes in management decisions is the emphasis on finding the right answer rather than the right question”.

We all know that open, indirect questions work best because they stimulate thought and encourage reflection. This way we can surface and examine unspoken assumptions, as well as summarize shared understandings and close the loops of uncertainty. Words are not experiences and must be tested continuously. The need is for strategic thinking using 'pre-mortems' and 'prospective hindsight' techniques. The right questions enable this and thereby help us to avoid the quick-sands of incomplete understanding.

Active listening, we all know, starts with complete attentiveness or, better yet, empathy. Patience is essential, but we're all in such a hurry to advance our own position, we often fail to take the time and effort to appreciate the 'opposing viewpoint'. Yet, two monologues have never made a dialogue. Work and effort are needed, and an atmosphere of openness and trust. The enemy is the 'disconnect' – we lose touch with what others are offering. Henry David Thoreau said, “It takes two to speak truth – one to speak, another to hear”. Again, we focus on 'what' is being said, too often at the expense of 'how' it is being said. Mehrabian proved conclusively that 93% of any discourse has nothing to do with the words being exchanged, but with tone and body language. Silence is so eloquent, yet we abhor it.

Leaders must respond, but not at any price. Responding effectively could be described as acting while avoiding two major pitfalls. Depreciation of others is the first pitfall and drowning ideas with verbiage is the other. There are a range of practical techniques, from the reflective (“Why don't we consider all the possible consequences of the suggested course?”) to the interventionist (“We'll try this idea for a few weeks and then evaluate the outcomes”). The most effective responses arise from dialogue, where two or more stand shoulder to shoulder to examine the potentials from slightly different perspectives.

One last quotation from David Hume, a Scottish philosopher, “Truth springs from arguments amongst friends”. The leader's challenge is to encourage constructive dialogue by keeping everyone's focus on the issues and the relationships friendly. Surely, that's not too difficult?

In our next article, we'll look at the role of the individual in the learning organization, and yes, I've saved the best for last! Meanwhile, there are more good ideas on the Andros website.