TRANSFORMATIVE INTERACTIONS: QUALITIES OF CONVERSATION THAT HEIGHTEN THE VITALITY OF SELF-ORGANIZING CHANGE

Abstract

Complexity theorists propose that organizations are made up of complex responsive processes in which people create and recreate organizational forms through dynamic micro-level interactions. Social constructionists add that conversations are the means by which these interactions occur. Our analysis illustrates how the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) engaged a wide range of stakeholders in a successful dialogue process to recreate a new system for monitoring nuclear reactors. The success was due, in large part, to the conversational qualities tacitly and explicitly agreed to by those involved in the process which included a spirit of freedom, inclusion, inquiry, spontaneity, and possibility. Using a grounded theory building process, we show how these qualities produced transformative change by increasing levels of interconnectivity, shared identity, and collective capacity among participants. These findings provide the beginnings of a model for understanding continuous and transformative change and demonstrate the value of engaging the “whole system” in sustained dialogue, even in complex, highly regulated environments.

Citation

Ferdig, M.A. and Ludema, J.D. (2005), "TRANSFORMATIVE INTERACTIONS: QUALITIES OF CONVERSATION THAT HEIGHTEN THE VITALITY OF SELF-ORGANIZING CHANGE", Research in Organizational Change and Development (Research in Organizational Change and Development, Vol. 15), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 169-205. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0897-3016(04)15005-2