Team Learning - Dialogue

What is the difference between discussion and dialogue?

"The discipline of team learning involves mastering the practices of dialogue and discussion. In discussion (a word with the same roots as percussion and concussion) views are presented and defended and the team searches for the best view to support decisions. Participants in a discussion often want to win and see their view prevail. While dialogue and discussion can be complementary, most teams can't distinguish between them. The original meaning of the word dialogue, according to physicist David Bohm, suggests a free flow of meaning between people. Bohm contends that in dialogue a group accesses a "larger pool of common meaning" that can't be accessed by individuals alone. The purpose of dialogue, then, is to go beyond the understanding held by each team member, and to explore complex issues creatively from many points of view. After dialogue, decisions must be made and thus comes the need for discussion, where action is the focus." -- Peter Senge

How do we promote dialogue in teams?

Review of the Fifth Discipline
Dialogue on Dialogue: Our Process
Robert Hargrove on Dialogue
Dialogue from Peter Senge's Perspective
Team Learning: More than Group Thinking
Process Skills at LIM Resources
Active Listening at LIM Resources