Page 17 - index

Tapping into the collective intelligence Developing the capacity in ourselves and in others to address
the complex adaptive issues that confront us means challenging
of our people the status quo, moving beyond the tried and true solutions
I believe that communication is not just talk, it is action. that have worked in the past, and creating new possibilities
Trough conversations we learn together and create the fabric together (Heifetz & Laurie, 2001). Te potential for dissent to
of our organizations. To learn together, we need to tap into be productive lies in its capacity to surface and challenge the
the collective intelligence of our colleagues, students, and underlying assumptions and contradictions that infuence and
stakeholders, and encourage those who risk speaking up. All constrain our thinking.
voices need to be heard, including the voices of those labelled Now is the time to challenge the assumptions that guide how we
as dissenters. As Heifetz and Laurie (2001) remind us, solving think, talk, learn, and work together. Now is the time to embrace
complex problems means involving all employees in fnding appreciative and critical perspectives about our institutions,
solutions. Tey argue that as leaders, we need to model the how they are managed, and how they can be improved. Now
candor we wish others to express. Rather than smoothing over is the time to harness the energy of our discontent and use it
confict, we need to draw out the issues, while surfacing and productively to help people fourish, organizations thrive, and
addressing the very real struggles over values and power that together, build a more compassionate and sustainable world.
characterize everyday life in our organizations (Heifetz, 1994). Te winter of our discontent can yield to promising
new beginnings.

References

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Brown, J., & Isaacs, D. (2005). Te World Café: Shaping Our Futures Huy, Q. N. (2001). In praise of middle managers. Harvard Business
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Kate Sikerbol, M.A., M.Ed. is a past member of the Practitioner Board of the Chair Academy and a
graduate of the Foundation and the Advanced Leadership Academy Programs. She has held roles as
Director of Talent Management and Organization Development at Laurentian University in Sudbury,
Ontario; Director of Organizational Efectiveness at Humber College in Toronto, Ontario; executive
management roles in healthcare; and taught extensively at both the university and college levels.
Currently, she is an organization development consultant and coach, and a doctoral student at Fielding
Graduate University where she is exploring the transformative potential of communication to efect
change. She can be reached at csikerbol@email.felding.edu.

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