Organizing for Change: Lessons Learned Part Two

Enjoy part two of this article on Organizing by Laureen Golden, M.Ed.

Anticipate Crucial Conversations: A Montessorian’s task to “aid life” touches on the sacred.
So although diversity can increase a group’s intelligence, when it comes to the ideas we care
most deeply about, diverse opinions can feel profoundly threatening and trigger our “fight or
flight” response, causing us to respond with violence (by attacking each other’s ideas and
feelings), or silence (disengaging from the conversation). By anticipating crucial conversations
as part of our process, we can better prepare ourselves, and effectively manage these moments.
[Crucial Conversations]


Prioritize a Need for Safety: How can groups leverage the power of diversity, even
when the stakes are high and emotions are running strong? Monitoring feelings of safety enables
us to recognize when we are in the midst of a crucial conversation. In “real time”, we can make
“repair attempts”, by letting the other person know we care about his/her best interests and goals
(mutual purpose), and that we care about him/her (mutual respect), thereby reestablishing safety
so collaborative work can continue. [Crucial Conversations]

Invest in Building a "Pool of Shared Meaning": When ideas, feelings, and opinions are openly
shared, a group develops a “pool of shared meaning”. The more information that is in that
pool, the better decisions the group can make. Developing a rich pool of shared meaning
requires an investment of time, but it ultimately serves the group’s effectiveness and efficiency,
by helping us move beyond “your way” and “my way” so that we can discover “our way”.
[Crucial Conversations]

To be continued tomorrow.