beneficial, there are three simple ways of encouraging this art of
making connections in the workplace: using dialog, moving outside
your field on a regular basis, and learning to think in terms of
connections.Using dialog as a way of life
If people are to make connections, they need to talk to each other.
The pace of life, linked to the fact that many people in offices are
largely glued to the computer screen on their desk, means that com-
munication is ever more fragmented and one way. The same is true
at home. Where it was once common for families to sit down and
eat breakfast and supper together, this important social occasion is
virtually a thing of the past in most households.
Many organizations are beginning to recognize that to har-
ness the creativity of their employees, they need to create structures
that encourage dialog. British Airways is one. As Colin Marshall
puts it:The most interesting and stimulating way of learning is from direct dia-
log with other people, whether in an educational context or straight-
forward business debate.Dialog assumes that there is no one right answer. It assumes that
solutions and truth may lie somewhere in the middle of two appar-
ently conflicting points of view. Dialog encourages engagement and
commitment. It is a two-way process in which speaking and listen-
ing are equally valued. In their excellent book Executive EQ, Robert
Cooper and Ayman Sawaf memorably describe dialog as “the free
flowing of meaning between people.”
For dialog to take place, especially if it is to be accompanied
by any eating or drinking—which, of course, it often is—it is help-
ful to have round tables. And, hey presto, you have invented the
Creative Café. Café-style communication is becoming increasingly
common. Café spaces are being planned into corporate architecture
and into training and conference facilities. I have found that this
can work very well at all levels of business life.164 Power Up Your Mind