Dialogic Organization Development and Subject–Object Dualism: A Social Constructionist Perspective on Dialogic Methods in an Organizational Context

Abstract

This research explores the meanings that facilitators and sponsors working with Dialogic Organization Development (Dialogic OD) in the Brazilian context assign to their practices, using a social constructionist approach. Findings support the premise that Dialogic OD means more than just the application of methods and includes central metaphors used by participants to describe their practices. These metaphors suggest that “taken for granted” assumptions associated with a subject–object dualism may lead practitioners to reproduce nondialogical relations; however, when such assumptions are cast into doubt, Dialogic OD can stimulate the creation of new realities. The contrasts revealed by subject–object dualism suggest that the emergent field of Dialogic OD has been developing in tensional ways. Recommendations to practitioners include the acknowledgment of these tensions and “taken for granted” assumptions in a way that enables them to engage in more reflexive practices. Otherwise, Dialogic OD could become a new management fad.