3.
BRING DIVERSE VOICES TOGETHER
Founded in 1925 by Alexander Graham Bell, Bell Laboratories is perhaps one of the most famous technology innovation companies in the world, known for developing revolutionary radio astronomy, the transistor, the laser, and the UNIX operating system among many others. Seven Nobel Prizes have been awarded for work associated with Bell Labs. Deb Mills-Scofield, a strategy and innovation consultant, who started her career at Bell Labs, describes her experience working in an environment that encouraged hypothesis formation and testing.
“My entire career at Bell Labs and AT&T was a continuous journey of Not Knowing and discovery – that was our business. At Bell Labs, Not Knowing meant that I might have a question like ‘why does/doesn’t this work this way?’ and be allowed to go figure out why. Not Knowing started with either a question for which you had no hypothesis or a question for which you had a hypothesis or two and were ready to go test. You didn’t know what the answer was – you didn’t know the outcome, either precisely or even at all. The goal was to find out.”
The culture at Bell Labs thrived on cross-disciplinary collaboration. Deb could chat with physicists, psychologists, economists, computer scientists, mechanics, and electrical engineers, amongst many others.
“The building where I worked was specifically designed for random collisions of people from different backgrounds, with long sunny corridors and atria for hanging out to chat or just work instead of in your own office. I could create more questions, hypotheses, and experimental designs by walking the trails around the building, sitting out in the sun by the big ponds, or by going down to the ocean a few minutes away. I could listen to music in my office or while I stayed home in my PJs all day to work. Many times, I’d go to museums or galleries to get my design ideas flowing. I didn’t have, nor was I expected, to stay within the four walls of my office or my building.”
Working across difference is the foundation for innovation and creativity; it is also a key ingredient for making progress on complex challenges where there is a diversity of views about what the challenge is and what needs to be done in order to move forwards. Engaging with others in dialogue becomes a necessary step on the journey into the unknown.
In contrast with conversation, in which people exchange existing ideas, and perhaps advocate their own point of view, the process of dialogue involves a “suspension” of sorts. Allowing time to take in what the other person is saying, without having a prepared answer. In this deep listening there is a space in which a different response than the usual, habitual pattern or routine becomes available. A space where a deeper level of conversation can take place. Agreement might not be reached, but empathy and respect are conditions to allow this to manifest. When true dialogue takes place, the bitterest of enemies can sit together and hear each other.
Danny Gal is a young Israeli man who in the midst of the biggest social protests in his country decided to harness the power of dialogue among diverse ethnic, political and social groups for social change.
He remarks: “We are in a period of change and the public can no longer be ignored. Decision-makers today can’t continue to ignore what people are demanding and no leader can just assume that he knows what the people want." This also holds true for organizations. Each of us, no matter what level or role, can help create the conditions for dialogue. Danny was no political leader but he stepped up to do what was needed.
The catalyst for Danny’s mission was an event he organised that brought together Israelis and Palestinians, sitting together in a circle. After a while a young man spoke softly: “I am a Palestinian from a village. I was an ambulance driver and now I’m working with youth in danger on the streets. I’m here because my brother was a suicide bomber and killed himself and 17 Israeli civilians. I want to prevent other tragic events like that.” Later, when the participants were asked to pair up, Danny made his way over to the young man, compelled to hear more of his story. “My brother saw his best friend shot and killed at school by Israelis. This filled him with anger and the desire for revenge. He fell into a crowd of people that took him in the wrong direction.” That moment Danny realized the power of dialogue and bringing diverse voices together.
With little more than an idea of connecting people, Danny formed his first NGO The Centre for Emerging Futures. His purpose was to build trust between people as human beings and not as representatives of their communities. The hope was that they would share their humanity and acknowledge the pain and suffering on both sides.
In the summer of 2011 the Arab Spring began and the Middle East saw a wave of protests from Cairo to Libya to Tunisia. Thousands protested for basic rights to education and employment and a greater say in their government. The same happened that summer in Israel. People were discontent with the high cost of living, the growing inequality and the lack of political leadership. This took the form of street protest when one young woman, Daphni Leef, set up a tent in the streets of Tel Aviv as an act of civil disobedience to raise public attention to the issues. Soon, through social media and online campaigns, hundreds of people joined her. There were hundreds of tents and in one week that summer half a million Israelis marched in the streets calling out for “Social Justice” and reforms in Netanyahu’s government. Danny saw these events as an opportunity to take the movement beyond protest to a form of reconciliation.
On Saturday 10 September 2011 Danny ran the biggest civic dialogue in Israel. Over 10,000 people – Arabs, Jews, Orthodox Jews, new immigrants from Russia and Ethiopia, settlers, lefties and right-wingers from more than 30 cities across Israel – sat together and participated in a dialogue.
Like his previous work on dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis, respect was set as a ground rule and everybody shared who they were, and why they chose to come to the event. A thousand round tables were brought in to symbolise equality for participants. Hundreds of volunteer facilitators kept the focus on appreciative questions such as ‘what is one thing that you want to change and you are willing to take responsibility for?’ The media reported some of the highlights of the dialogues and these were fed back to government to influence policy so people could see their voice was being heard. But mostly it was the act in itself – sitting down together with strangers – that was the main achievement that evening.
Danny reflects on his feelings that night:
“Not Knowing is like standing at the edge of a cliff and knowing that jumping is completely insane. You know that what has been happening has brought misery for people’s lives. But moving to the new is a step into the unknown that risks everything. When you are there it is the voice of fear that stops you. I have learned to always listen to my body in these edge situations. I listen to my heart beat. I know that when my heart beats strongly it tells me I have to make the move. What is known is that we can’t continue as in the past. We don’t need to know the how, what or why of the future. I just need to make the step.”