Reclaiming rare listening as a means of organizational re‐enchantment

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a reclaiming of the potency of Rogerian listening in organizations. The paper views listening after Rogers, the father of active listening, as a process with potential to re-enchant organizations and the people who comprise them, in a move away from the popular view and professional training that fosters instrumentalized listening that deadens organizations and crushes the spirit of individuals. Design/methodology/approach -The study employs a text analysis using iterative coding processes and constant comparison. A total of 12 web sites focused on "active listening" in business contexts were analyzed for overlap and divergence with Rogers' descriptors and essential conditions for active listening. Findings -Rogers is almost completely disassociated from his original multi-sensory conception of listening, which is now reduced to a set of instrumental tips and techniques that help the listener gather data in the interest of achieving preconceived goals. Rarely was Rogers' intention invoked -of understanding in the context of growing a relationship between speaker and listener that was grounded in unconditional positive regard, care, and love. Research limitations/implications -Though the sample size is limited, it suggests a particular zeitgeist in organizations that inhibits the possibilities of re-enchantment by shutting down a principle of channel for developing understanding and making connections that can foster novelty and increase collaboration. An awareness of the current reduction of listening being taught in organizations, and the particular ways in which it varies from the richness of Rogers' powerful conception is the first step toward identifying and overcoming the barriers to re-enchantment at individual and organizational levels. Originality/value -The prevailing efforts in the literature include listening as one dimension in the broader field of communication skills, and tend to result in recommendations that deepen the instrumental nature of listening in business. This study focuses on listening exclusively, beginning with the origins of Rogers' "active listening," examining the ways it has been conceptually co-opted and distorted, as a first step in the process of reclaiming it from the territory of calculated and observable skill.

Does avoidance‐attachment style attenuate the benefits of being listened to?

“…That is, merely following instructions to listen in a technical manner, as was carried out in three of our experiments, may not suffice to create psychological safety. Indeed, Tyler () analyzed websites of active‐listening courses intended for business and found that the content of the courses tended to be technical and, hence, dissociated from Rogers's theory. Similarly, Friedman () argued that before effective listening can take place, a person must meditate and relax.…”

“…For example, a measure based on actual listening behaviors, such as eye contact, is only modestly correlated with the speaker's experience of being listened to (Bodie, Jones, Vickery, Hatcher, & Cannava, ). Moreover, “active listening”—a set of concrete behaviors including reflections of content and emotion—was found to sometimes be perceived as manipulative in the business setting (Tyler, ), and it showed no effect on marital quality (Gottman, Coan, Carrere, & Swanson, ). Therefore, we define listening, in the middle of an abstract‐to‐concrete continuum, as a behavior that manifests the presence of attention, comprehension, and good intention toward the speaker.…”

“…In the field, listening is manipulated with listening training, which in successful experiments was based on at least 4 hours of training or as many as 16 hours (Kluger, , January). Finally, we sought to create a manipulation that did not require the expertise required in the clinical field (Miller & Rose, ; Rogers, ) without reducing it to a problematic technique, as noted by Tyler (). That is, we sought brief manipulations to increase psychological safety for speakers, relative to a control group.…”

From Listening to Leading: Toward an Understanding of Supervisor Listening Within the Framework of Leader-Member Exchange Theory

“…Organizations that want to implement such a work culture should select managers who are truly interested in listening and understand their followers. Listening may afford far more patience than speaking or advising, and followers may quickly notice when leaders' listening is an attempt at mutual understanding or employed as a "technique to manipulate" (Tyler, 2011). In the case of the latter, all attempts and future ones, however honest, may be detrimental to the supervisor-employee relationship.…”

“…When the individual feels accepted and cared for, Rogers argued, mutual understanding and trusting bonds are possible. Hence, in this article, we focus on how the person being listened to perceives the listener (see also Barnlund, 1962; Stone, Patton, & Heen, 1999; Tyler, 2011) and conceptualize listening as a subjective perception of listening quality . Listening quality captures the individual’s perception of being attended to, accepted, and appreciated (Rogers, 1975).…”