Technique 5.14 Dialogo Therapeutic

Introduction

"...it predisposes  the unconditional value and dignity of employees as human beings, it respects the demands placed on employees originating from systems outside the organisation; it respects the complex, non-linear and often illogical nature of humans, and it respects humanity because its premise is based on engagement and dialogue..."
Ryk Croukamp, 2018 

This allows employees to work from a 'freedom of choice' mindset in their decision-making about responding to organisation change.

NB Freedom needs to be linked with responsibility and accountability. These can be imposed from outside, ie 'I should'. It is more powerful if it comes from individuals themselves, ie 'I ought to'.
"...this authority needs to be developed from within if we wish to live meaningful lives rather than be the victims of conformism or totalitarianism..."
Ryk Croukamp, 2018

It involves engagement (emotional commitment staff have to the organisation and its goals). Engaged staff care about their work and who they work with; this is more important than financial rewards. Giving people the power of freedom to choose will strengthen their engagement.

NB Engagement consists of the following dimensions

- vigour (displaying high levels of energy, mental resilience, willingness to work, collaboration, persistency etc irrespective of the situation)

- dedication (characterised by having a sense of significance from one's work, feeling enthusiastic, proud, inspired, challenged, etc)

- absorption (shown by being totally and happily immersed in one's work; totally focused)

It rests upon the following premises
" ... - reality in relationships are socially constructed
      - organisations are meaning-making systems
      - language, broadly defined, matters
      - creating change requires changing the conversation
      - structure participative enquiry and engagement to increase differentiation before seeking coherence
      - groups and organisations are continually self-organising
      - transformational change is more emergent and planned
      - consultants are part of the process, not apart from it..."
Ryk Croukamp, 2018

An Example of Dialogo is Logotherapy

Introduction

Logo refers to meaning

Logo therapy
"...is as a dialogic intervention......aims to enable employees to re-author their way of dealing with change and equip them with a skill to take responsibility for their own lifes. And in doing so, own their own energetic and motivated wellness so that they become available for even greater amounts of change in the workplace......could assist leaders/managers of organisations to lead with a higher level of consciousness......hence changing the rationale and the way organisations embark on change program..."
Ryk Croukamp, 2018

It helps contextualise change and meaning. It focuses on attitudinal values and freedom of choice.

It goes beyond talk and mediation and is about the 'right' action and conduct.

 It goes beyond organisational change that focuses on

- greed and/or power
- productivity
- efficiency and effectiveness
- maximising shareholder value
- maximising profit

NB Even though a tenet of logotherapy is the tragic triad of pain, guilt and death, the focus is on
"...attitudinal values and freedom of choice towards responsibleness to life's demand qualities..."
Ryk Croukamp, 2018

Three basic tenets of logo therapy

i) freedom of will (it is the capacity to choose one's attitude towards any condition, ie how we choose to live our lives, moment by moment; freedom has 2 components

    a) freedom 'from what', ie man is a driven being

    b) freedom 'to what', ie man being responsible, ie having a conscience

The key here is being able to transcend your circumstances, ie to become a self-determining being. Finding the right answer from your conscience for any given situation, ie freedom of choice. This is the basis for meaning fulfilment and
"...is not triggered by some historical scripting based on past experience or cultural norms, or societal pressures to conform......does not come from a place of instinctual drives, in pursuit of some reward, or to satisfy an innate need, but from a deep intuition about what is right and what is wrong..."
Ryk Croukamp, 2018

"...be the master of your own will and the servant of your own conscience..."
Maria von Ebner-Eschenbach as quoted by Frankl and Ryk Croukamp, 2018

NB don't confuse conscience with the 'inner voice of man'.
"...It's not just a voice in the head that we respond to but a mediator of something other than self..."
Ryk Croukamp, 2018)

ii) will to meaning (a primary motivation for living; we have the
"...capability to desire meaning in our lives, to live a life of purpose, to feel needed and responsible for something and to someone..."
T. Shantall as quoted by Ryk Croukamp, 2018

NB This is different from Freud's will to pleasure and Adler's will to power. These 2 can frustrate the will to meaning.

As humans are relational, this will to meaning is directed towards something or someone else rather than the self.
"...Meaning is therefore not only an essential component of being human, at the same time larger than any one person and can be discovered in relation to something or someone only..."
Ryk Croukamp, 2018

There is a difference between the drive to attain something versus driving for the attainment of a worthwhile goal purpose, ie
"...human is pushed by drives, he is also drawn by the pursuit of meaning, to the point where it becomes very possible to sacrifice a life for sake of a worthwhile purpose. The human is therefore very capable of finding meaning despite their circumstance..."
A. Graber as quoted by Ryk Croukamp, 2018

"...will to meaning is characterised by a call from outside through which the meaning of human being's individual life circumstances can be expressed..."
Kimble et al as quoted by Ryk Croukamp, 2018

In change it is important to communicate to staff what the benefits of change can be for them.)

iii) meaning of life (implies a sense of obligation that can be task-based, ie unique and specific; it can challenge or question the meaning of life; there is a difference between meaningful lives and purposeful lives, ie
"...an animal can be functionally quite purposeful, but an animal can never question the meaning of its existence..."
Ryk Croukamp, 2018

"...no matter what the circumstances, life has unconditional meaning, regardless of circumstances. And how we respond to life's demands......becomes our freedom to choose our response and action..."
Ryk Croukamp, 2018

Even if you lose everything you possess, you still have this freedom to choose.

Happiness results from fulfilling our meaning potentialities.

NB meaning is associated with experiencing something real. Meaning can be experienced 3 different ways:
"...- what we give to the world in terms of our tasks, duties, our vocation, which are our creative values
     - what we receive from the world in terms of experiences or encounters, which constitutes our experiential values and
     - the attitude that we take towards predicaments and suffering, which relates to our attitudinal values..."
Ryk Croukamp, 2018

"...Meaning is experienced within the context of personal ideals and values, life goals and purpose. Meaning is found in serving a cause or pursuing a vocation or mission in life-endeavours that have an inspiring and uplifting effect on us..."
E. V. Frankl as quoted by Ryk Croukamp, 2018

Meaning is a subjective/personal feeling that is hard to put in words, ie it sits beyond the realm of reason. It is a 'knowing', 'a sense of calling', etc.
"...meaning is found through the interrogation of our conscience; this is where it asks us what life demands from us not what we demand from life..."
Ryk Croukamp, 2018

This is linked with responsibleness.