Promote Dialogue Even during the iciest days of the Cold War, Americans and Russians continued talking to each other, and even occasionally agreed on an issue. Whenever they did, international tensions lessened and hopes for peace strengthened. In fact, many historians argue that conversations between these two great powers may have saved us from a third world war because dialogue represents more than an attempt to argue the correctness of a strongly held position. Dialogue advances learning and understanding. Comprehending the logic underlying a competing position often removes one's resistance to accepting it.
Dialogue can smooth the way when a leader wants to initiate an adaptive solution.
At all costs, these discussions must be participatory so that each employee feels his or her voice has been heard. Regulate Distress Implementing an adaptive component of a solution is not a tranquil passage to the future. It can even be painful. On one hand, the pain and pressure that accompany major changes in business, as in life, can reach a level of distress at which productive functioning is inhibited. On the other hand, workers who are altogether unaware or unaffected by profound transformations surrounding them may be equally unproductive.