The Unshakeable Burdens of Dialogue

The evil gremlins that disrupt democracy are not you or your associates; they are inherent in the process of group dialogue.  They are the unshakeable burdens of dialogue:

• The limits of human cognition
• Group pathologies
• Unequal power relations

Our working memory can handle only 5-9 items at a time.  When we approach complicated situations without discipline and carefully crafted tools, our minds protectively shrink our field of vision to 7 ± 2 items and ignore other items as irrelevant.  This constraint limits our ability for community decision-making and d3esign.  In other words, if our meetings do not honor our limits, we drive ourselves into cognitive overload, and frustrate our efforts.

For a variety of reasons, individuals in group situations often:

• Vent anger and frustration;
• Perceive the situation as a threat;
• Use the situation to get attention;
• Dominate the group; or
• Follow some inappropriate strategy to meet a social or emotional need.

Consequently, many groups do not get beyond the storming stages of Tuckman’s classic four: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing.  In other words, unaided group dynamics allow groups to form and develop conflicts, but not to reach consensual agreement or get anything done.  Managers aggravate these harmful dynamics when they pressure groups into quick decision-making.  They force groups into sidetracks in order to escape threats and embarrassment.

Unequal power relations exist in a group when certain members are accorded deference because of their rank, expertise, or other expressions of power.  Dialogue is not genuine in such situations, because other members of the group will not experience the capacity to act.  If people feel they are powerless, their involvement will be superficial and their commitment to action inconsequential.

SDP efficiently overcomes these burdens of dialogue with an integrated mix of facilitation processes and software support developed over the last 35 years.