Conclusion

Dialogue offers organizations the possibility of developing individuals and systems that are better able to handle the complexity of this diverse and fast-changing world. But it is a nonscientific solution in an age in which people are most comfortable trusting science. It is a long-term solution at a time when people want immediate answers.

Yet it is consonant with other changes in organizations, such as empowerment, self-managed teams, and reduction in layers of management. This is an interesting age: It has one foot in the traditions of the past and one foot testing the ground of new ways to function. Dialogue is a tool of the new ground. It may also be a tool to help discover where the new ground lies.