CHANGE CONVERSATION STYLE: CHANGE THE ORGANIZATION
CHANGE CONVERSATION STYLE: CHANGE THE ORGANIZATION

Summary/Abstract: Using conversation as a method to incur organizational change is no longer a novelty in the field. However, the suggestion made by this paper is that change can only occur when the prevailing conversational style employed by organizations aiming at undertaking transformation efforts is changed first. Moreover, the approach taken focuses on the dynamic nature of the organizational environment described by the verbal interactions and conversation patterns of work groups and individuals. Thus, as opposed to the mechanistic views often taken when trying to change organizations, this paper proposes that change has to occur at the level of employees and, more specifically at the level of naming and talking about organizational issues. The proposition underlying this is that while changing the attitude or behavior of people may be difficult if not impossible, focusing on their conversational style and linguistic patterns and molding these is more likely to trigger expected results. In this respect, it is worth reminding that any sentence formulated by an employee can be viewed as an organization’s “health” indicator given the specific organizational context underlying it, as well as the organizational roles and identities it mirrors (Heritage2010:42).

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