Going down the U listening to all voices
I’ve just started the qualitative part of a gender equality audit of a big Spanish company – following the law 3/2007. With the quantitative analysis already done, now the fun moment for the insights and colours has come. In social audits, quantitative analysis is like a pencil drawing of the company situation. The qualitative, sketches the depth of problems and opportunities, and sheds light in corners that would have remained obscure without listening, and asking, and listening again, going down the U process.
The more social audits I do, the more I realise each of them is a different challenge. Indeed as it should be, since every organisation is a world on its own in constant evolution. As a result, methodologies are also tested and adapted in function of the company needs and work progression.
In the last focus group I facilitated, I recall all the group agreeing in the point that all the responsibility on what was being discussed was at the top management level, and that nothing could be done from their side. All the participants except one had intervened. I asked her what were her thoughts on that – she had contributed before but she had kept a rather low profile during the session. She paused and I recognised the emergence of the creative silence where ideas can almost be touched. She looked around her peers and said: I could not disagree with you more. It’s absolutely in our hands to change things from our level. Top management has its responsibility, but if we decide to work in a supportive way, we don’t need their intervention anymore (…) In that single moment everything changed. The meaning changed. Some of the participants agreed with her, and most importantly, at the end of the dialogue a way forward was opened.
Fascinated by these situations I ask myself what it takes to make people that would have otherwise remained in silence, to speak up. From my experience, some of the key aspects are:
- Quality of attention from the whole group and in particular from the facilitator towards what is being said
- Equality in the turns of participation. All participants need to know that they have equal turns to participate and have their say, and is the facilitator job to make sure this happens
- Holding the dialogue. Here the facilitator holds the dialogue with ease, doing nothing and doing everything at the same time. She ensures that silence is nurtured, participants don’t interrupt each other and no rush has place in the session.
This week personal interviews follow. No doubt it will make the kaleidoscope richer and richer.
