This article is brought to you by the IFLA New Professionals Special Interest Group (NPSIG)

Of lately, I have been reading case studies on how innovative leaders are capturing new ideas and documenting “rare” knowledge using dialogical techniques such as scenario planning, incident reports and after-action-reviews. While it is a known fact that informal engagements are considered as viable ways of expressing views freely as opposed to formal meetings, dialogue-centred forums seem to be reaping benefits. In my reading, I encountered how “dialogue” is symbolised as a critical frontier factor influencing people to share own critical views about a specific problem intuitively.

Most scholars view dialogue as a conversational-centred activity powerful in generating new ideas in any given subject matter. What captivated my mind is a declaration set by Bereiter and Scardamalia (2016), that dialogue is a symbolized act for building new knowledge using existing facts to solve a problem, hence compelling knowledge-creating efforts given its ability to generate new ideas using problem analysis techniques. In a knowledge management context, what is known by individual can be “rare” and unique; but can remain unknown unless expressed or documented. We also know that “tacit knowledge” is a phenomenon notion difficult to emulate unless probing is involved. Through interrogations, participants can reflect on own experience, evaluate progress and formulate ideas logically.

But have we ever consider adopting a culture of using “formal dialogue” to update staff on matter of concern or clarify work-related grievances on a specific problem?

Tapping from my Knowledge Management lecturing experience, I always sense a strong hesitation of students wishing to express their views but fail miserably. These are the same sentiments I experience when chairing formal meetings at work. Peers tend to hold views back in formal meetings especially if the subject matter is unpopular or controversial. Today`s virtual meetings have worsened this act – as at least one can observe facial disagreement cues in a physical setting leading to further probing. Such attitudinal or behavioural acts can be frustrating and discouraging, especially for newly appointed leaders. Even worse, a lack of interaction may result one making biased decisions or endorsing ideas that are not well-thought out.

As an attempt to improve this situation, I once initiated a dialogue-driven initiative of scheduling a staff meeting using a heading “What’s on My Table” or “Staff Mandatory Briefing” without sharing agenda points. With the intention to update my staff on the kind of projects I am working on, I used the opportunity to connect with them while probing individuals to air views. I must admit, this initiative did not yield new ideas, because conversation shifted to focus more on seeking feedback from unresolved operational issues. This, on its own is proof in fact that dialogue can be an effective way of learning new ideas, but a problem analysis matrix should be used to guide the discussion and deliberations.

To foster a dialogical culture of developing and documenting new ideas, I have learnt that first dialog must centre around a specific problem. Secondly to probe ideas and produce the desired results, dialog intentions must be outlined and clarified. Thirdly, dialog resolutions must be clarified and captured in a trueful manner to enforce accountability in implementing such decisions. Through participation in IFLA professional forums like NPSIG, graduates can learn new ideas at the same be exposed to techniques of formulating ideas, evaluating work and offering counter-interjections to either defend a viewpoint or interrogate matter that may be considered as controversial or sensitive.

Main Source: Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (2016). “Good Moves” in knowledge-creating dialogue. QWERTY-Interdisciplinary Journal of Technology, Culture and Education, 11(2), 12-26.

Author: Jakobina Mwiiyale: Newly appointed Deputy University Librarian, University of Namibia and NPSIG Member