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Storytelling and Listening: Co-creating Understandings

Bednar, Peter LU and Welch, Christine (2013) In Cybernetics & Human Knowing 20(1-2). p.13-21
Abstract
As sentient and social beings, we live in hope that we can be understood when we try to communicate with each other but we also know that we might be wrong. We strive for better understandings, engaging in an on-going ‘dance’ of collective sense-making. This paper considers how communication among individuals involves co-creation of meaning by exploring narratives – those expressed by a speaker and those created internally by listeners in efforts to achieve understanding. We note that the extent of these efforts varies from reliance on prejudice at one extreme to deep listening at the other, and that organizational barriers may exist which inhibit co-creation of meaning. We suggest that an open systems approach, which enables individuals... (More)
As sentient and social beings, we live in hope that we can be understood when we try to communicate with each other but we also know that we might be wrong. We strive for better understandings, engaging in an on-going ‘dance’ of collective sense-making. This paper considers how communication among individuals involves co-creation of meaning by exploring narratives – those expressed by a speaker and those created internally by listeners in efforts to achieve understanding. We note that the extent of these efforts varies from reliance on prejudice at one extreme to deep listening at the other, and that organizational barriers may exist which inhibit co-creation of meaning. We suggest that an open systems approach, which enables individuals to explore and share their contextually dependent understandings, will be helpful. We propose a framework that supports and guides participants in endeavors to co-create understandings of problem spaces through storytelling and listening. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
listening, narratives, communication, sense-making, knowledge creation, open systems.
in
Cybernetics & Human Knowing
volume
20
issue
1-2
pages
13 - 21
publisher
Imprint Academic
ISSN
0907-0877
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
74ca6ce1-b5b4-467b-80ef-65d3da6b8d46 (old id 4317754)
alternative location
http://www.chkjournal.org/
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 09:23:54
date last changed
2018-11-21 20:52:49
@article{74ca6ce1-b5b4-467b-80ef-65d3da6b8d46,
  abstract     = {{As sentient and social beings, we live in hope that we can be understood when we try to communicate with each other but we also know that we might be wrong. We strive for better understandings, engaging in an on-going ‘dance’ of collective sense-making. This paper considers how communication among individuals involves co-creation of meaning by exploring narratives – those expressed by a speaker and those created internally by listeners in efforts to achieve understanding. We note that the extent of these efforts varies from reliance on prejudice at one extreme to deep listening at the other, and that organizational barriers may exist which inhibit co-creation of meaning. We suggest that an open systems approach, which enables individuals to explore and share their contextually dependent understandings, will be helpful. We propose a framework that supports and guides participants in endeavors to co-create understandings of problem spaces through storytelling and listening.}},
  author       = {{Bednar, Peter and Welch, Christine}},
  issn         = {{0907-0877}},
  keywords     = {{listening; narratives; communication; sense-making; knowledge creation; open systems.}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1-2}},
  pages        = {{13--21}},
  publisher    = {{Imprint Academic}},
  series       = {{Cybernetics & Human Knowing}},
  title        = {{Storytelling and Listening: Co-creating Understandings}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/5313580/4466054.pdf}},
  volume       = {{20}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}