As part of the ICU Rotary Peace Center program, we have opportunities to participate in practical workshops with experts in the field who give trainings on their peace and conflict resolution/transformation work. This term the new class of fellows along with my class participated in a workshop about structured dialogue for complex inter- and or intra-group problem-solving. I spent the past few days with my fellow classmates and the workshop facilitator. It was both an exhausting and enriching experience!
The workshop facilitator, Jackie Wasilewski, is a former ICU professor and developed the method of using dialogue for complex problem-solving while at ICU. Although retired and living in New Mexico, she graciously agreed to return to ICU to teach us about the method. A summary of her method can be described as a way to have stakeholders design their own future from a common problem by identifying the root cause of the problem, generating various ideas to solve the problem, and, then, creating an action plan to start the real work towards resolving the issue. Of course, that last sentence leaves out all of the complexities in her method.
The origins of Wasilewski's method has its roots in indigenous and Native American ways of solving problems, which focuses less on arguing positions and persuading other sides to come to believe in your opinion but, instead, sharing various points-of-view and experiences to have a broader, more holistic perspective on a common problem. Some of the other indigenous methods she uses in her own method are: ordered speaking in round robin (where everyone has a chance to express his or her own ideas, views and perspectives), no time limits on how long each participant may speech, and acknowledgement of interconnections between and amongst groups (because all communities constantly affect one another in multiple ways). All of these ways of dialoguing have been found in indigenous communities from the Americas to Asia to Europe and Africa, yet, they have been lost in our modern world of attacking problems by debate and persuasion. Throughout the five days, even I found myself fighting the urge to debate with my classmates and keep count of the number of times I persuaded one of them to agree with my argument—I guess it's hard to suppress my own modern, Western traits!
There is also a modern twist included in this dialogue method: a computer is used to record all of the data and later analyze the problem as viewed from the participants to find what the root cause of the problem is. The computer-assistance program uses pairs to compare different parts of the problem and an algorithm to deduct the main cause or causes of the problem as expressed by the participants. It's ok if you didn't understand that last part, because I'm not sure I fully understand logic behind the computer program to assess the problem. Let me just tell you that it was a mind-numbing exercise that left me drained by the end of each day!
Wasilewski has successfully used this method to host dialogues between Native American tribal leaders and local, state and federal US government officials, amongst Northeast Asian students to tackle intercultural communication obstacles, and in Bolivia to help the president and indigenous and civil society organizations to begin planning for projects to increase cooperation within the hemisphere and between the Andean and Amazonian indigenous groups in Bolivia.
In our group's simulation of the structured dialogue, we attempted to address the obstacles and barriers to global, multi-stakeholder, sustainable poverty reduction in the next five to ten years and how our Rotary Peace Fellow network can take appropriate action on this issue. Yes, quite a lot to bite off! Yet while we identified the broad, structural changes that must happen to solve this problem, like changing the way those in power continually work in self-interest and not for the greater good of all and the need to increase the chances and opportunities for those who are disempowered to have a stage to express the concerns and own ideas for solving this problem, we also came up with more concrete actions that our group could work on now. Some of these ideas included continuing our research and work that gives voice to those with less power and also brings more collaborative work that looks at the global arena not as a power struggle but as an interconnected world with people of equal worth and value.
Our group hopes to influence policy processes by providing empirical and scientific studies that can aid local, indigenous communities and governments for better, more just poverty reduction policies; by publishing articles and books that advocate against policies that we know undermine and hurt disempowered people but, instead, expresses our ideas to work towards a more peaceful and just world; and by creating a platform for skills-sharing, training and development that promotes a more humanized and a deep democratic view of the world and its people.
Needless to say, during the last five days I learned quite a bit about this method of complex problem-solving and how our Rotary World Peace Fellow network can collectively address real-world problems. Of course, the creation of a better network of World Peace Fellows is just a first, yet crucial step for our group to develop better global policies for poverty reduction. ICU Peace Fellows will be continuing this dialogue over the next few months amongst ourselves and with other Peace Centers to talk more and create a real action plan. I'll keep you all up-to-date with what we are doing!
If interested, you can read more about Professor Wasilewski's method here and about the dialogue in the Northeast Asian region amongst students here.
Best,
JRG
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