Conversation

Conceptual Overview

Unlike monologues and directives, which communicate information in one direction, such as from a boss to subordinates, conversations generally involve opportunities for both speaking and expressing as well as listening and responding. They influence future exchanges and behaviors while being influenced by previous conversations and events. For example, when workers are ignored or interrupted if they speak up in staff meetings, they are more likely to be constrained in subsequent conversations in that setting. Conversely, when colleagues have collaborative, trusting relationships, they are more likely to build constructively on [Page 278]those experiences, asking questions and assisting each other in the future. These examples also illustrate the influences of context on how conversations evolve.

Conversation is such an ordinary part of life that its vital role in organizations is often unrecognized or misunderstood. Historically, it is one of the earliest behaviors that distinguished humans as a species and served as a source of communication and learning through storytelling prior to the development of written language. Certainly the Greeks emphasized the importance of conversation, recognizing the profound impact of the nature of conversation on the culture. Many academic disciplines such as philosophy, rhetoric, and anthropology have evolved, drawing upon different forms of conversation at the core of their work. In the 20th century, German philosophers Jürgen Habermas and Hans-Georg Gadamer refocused attention on the way people talk to each other in conversation as a fundamental dimension of social life.

It is important to make distinctions among the words conversation, discussion, debate, and dialogue because they are sometimes used interchangeably. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, one definition of each of these words is talk. Yet conversation originates from a different source than the other three words. Debate, discussion, and dialogue all originate from the Greek word dialectos. Debate includes definitions such as diminish, beat down, and bring down while discussion centers more on investigating, dispelling, and examining. The root meaning of dialogue emphasizes the search for truth through opposing voices.

Also in the Oxford English Dictionary, conversation, on the other hand, comes from a 14th-century English word meaning “to be united in heaven in conversation.” Each of the many definitions of early uses of conversation includes aspects of spaces where people live among others in intimacy. Therefore, the deeper roots of these four words about talk reveal differing tones, all of which have a place in organizational studies. The word conversation reflects more of a spirit of working together collaboratively while the other three connote more adversarial and judicious interactions.

Especially because of the ubiquitous nature of conversation, selecting only a few relevant conceptual orientations to conversation is not easy. Three of the major ones are developed here: action/outcome, social construction of meaning, and change and learning. While the descriptions of the three frameworks are separated here for clarity, in organizational life they overlap and influence each other. As in all research, the predisposition that scholars and researchers have toward any one conceptual orientation influences the assumptions that they have about what is important and thus influences the research methodologies they use. The prevalent assumptions and methodological approaches are briefly mentioned below for each of the three frameworks.

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