Meeting the challenge of being a listening organization

Macnamara, J

Meeting the challenge of being a listening organization

Macnamara, J

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Publisher:: Edizioni Santa Croce, University of Santa Croce
Publication Type:: Chapter
Citation:: Rilevanza e ascolto: Comunicare il messaggio cristiano nella pluralità delle voci contemporanee, 2023, pp. 67-83
Issue Date:: 2023-10-02

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Macnamara, J https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1387-3882
dc.contributor.editor	Bellido, G
dc.contributor.editor	Narbona, J
dc.contributor.editor	Sebastianelli, D
dc.date.accessioned	2023-10-17T02:02:20Z
dc.date.available	2023-10-17T02:02:20Z
dc.date.issued	2023-10-02
dc.identifier.citation	Rilevanza e ascolto: Comunicare il messaggio cristiano nella pluralità delle voci contemporanee, 2023, pp. 67-83
dc.identifier.isbn	979-12-5482-169-5
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/172718
dc.description.abstract	Communication is a term that rolls easily off the tongue, which is symbolic in light of the following discussion. Eminent sociologists, psychologists, democratic political theorists, and others have described communication as “the organizing element of human life” (Littlejohn and Foss 2011, 4) and the basis of human society (Carey 2009, 5). Eminent American philosopher and psychologist John Dewey said succinctly: “Society exists … in communication.” (Plate 1916, 5). Communication provides the ‘glue’ that holds groups, teams, communities, societies, and organizations together, even when they face challenges and conflict (Cho 2020; Maneerat, Hale, y Singhal 2005). However, starting with the oratory and the ‘art of rhetoric’ proselytised by Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and Quintilian (Atwill 1998; Kennedy 1994), communication has been widely conceptualized as voice and speaking. In Book 1 of Politics, Aristotle wrote that “nature ... has endowed man alone among the animals with the power of speech” and identified speaking as a key attribute that defines humans (Haworth 2012, 43). Renaissance political philosopher Thomas Hobbes echoed Aristotle’s trope in saying “the most noble and profitable invention of all others was that of speech” . In comparison, listening has languished in scholarship and practice, particularly in relation to organizations. Recent research has reported that “most organizations listen sporadically at best, often poorly, and sometimes not at all”(Macnamara 2016, 236). There is growing evidence that this is causally related to the “crisis of trust” (Flew 2019; Garland 2021; Macnamara 2020) that plagues many of our institutions as well as many inequities, crises, and catastrophes. There is an urgent need to turn attention to listening in our organized society.
dc.format.extent	30
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Edizioni Santa Croce, University of Santa Croce
dc.relation.ispartof	Rilevanza e ascolto: Comunicare il messaggio cristiano nella pluralità delle voci contemporanee
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title	Meeting the challenge of being a listening organization
dc.type	Chapter
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CPCE - Centre for Creative Practices and the Cultural Economy
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/School of Communication
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	false
dc.date.updated	2023-10-17T02:02:19Z
pubs.place-of-publication	Rome, Italy
pubs.publication-status	Published
dc.location	Rome, Italy

Abstract:

Communication is a term that rolls easily off the tongue, which is symbolic in light of the following discussion. Eminent sociologists, psychologists, democratic political theorists, and others have described communication as “the organizing element of human life” (Littlejohn and Foss 2011, 4) and the basis of human society (Carey 2009, 5). Eminent American philosopher and psychologist John Dewey said succinctly: “Society exists … in communication.” (Plate 1916, 5). Communication provides the ‘glue’ that holds groups, teams, communities, societies, and organizations together, even when they face challenges and conflict (Cho 2020; Maneerat, Hale, y Singhal 2005). However, starting with the oratory and the ‘art of rhetoric’ proselytised by Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and Quintilian (Atwill 1998; Kennedy 1994), communication has been widely conceptualized as voice and speaking. In Book 1 of Politics, Aristotle wrote that “nature ... has endowed man alone among the animals with the power of speech” and identified speaking as a key attribute that defines humans (Haworth 2012, 43). Renaissance political philosopher Thomas Hobbes echoed Aristotle’s trope in saying “the most noble and profitable invention of all others was that of speech” . In comparison, listening has languished in scholarship and practice, particularly in relation to organizations. Recent research has reported that “most organizations listen sporadically at best, often poorly, and sometimes not at all”(Macnamara 2016, 236). There is growing evidence that this is causally related to the “crisis of trust” (Flew 2019; Garland 2021; Macnamara 2020) that plagues many of our institutions as well as many inequities, crises, and catastrophes. There is an urgent need to turn attention to listening in our organized society.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/172718