Listening Deeply: An Approach to Understanding and Consulting in Organizational Culture

So much in our society is based on the importance of doing, achieving, striving, intervening, and producing. In contrast, Listening Deeply attempts to re-establish listening and attentiveness toward others as the key to consulting with organizations. Professor Howard Stein uses his training in anthropology and psychology to shed light on organizational relationships and tensions. He shows how a consultant can safely allow emotionally charged issues to emerge so that healing can begin. Using brief and extended case examples from his own consulting practice, Stein illustrates his approach of creating a safe holding environment, in which members of an organization can express difficult emotions and learn to understand themselves and their colleagues better. He encourages consultants to use the self creatively and constructively to look beyond the obvious in interpreting messages from group members. Sometimes it is only through the consultants own emotional response that the root of the organizations problem becomes clear. Stein provides concrete examples that show the consultant how to listen for underlying themes and thoughtfully analyze both the text and subtext of an organizations culture. Through his cases, Stein demonstrates how the consultant can go beyond conventional problem-solving to promote healing, growth, and, ultimately, a better working environment.