Can thought be shared?

PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICE FOR ORGANIZATIONS

New methods of cooperation and thinking together for the creation and recreation of concepts, visions, attitudes and behaviours

“The Knowledge Space is the area in which thought is composed, re-ordered, communicated, individualized, and re-launched. It is a place in which separations are dissolved. The Knowledge Space is inhabited, enlivened by the collective intelligence – of collective thinkers – in permanent dynamic reorganization.”
Pierre Lévy

Collective Intelligence

There are many signs that a new collective or “group” model of thought is emerging today. And perhaps philosophy could be a good tool for meeting the needs of such a model. It is no accident that for the last ten years the new Philosophical Practice – which harks back to the “life school” model of ancient philosophy – has been spreading throughout Anglo-Saxon and northern European businesses and organizations.
Philosophical Practice is an activity that makes it possible to “reflect” in a controlled and shared way, with the help of the tools of philosophy (logic, argumentation, critical thought etc.) and some specific procedural rules, such as the suspension of judgment, the analysis of the alternatives and extrematization, the analysis of the pros and cons, reference to experience, giving special attention to issues such as respect and responsibility, inclusive thinking, continuous questioning, bringing the self into play in meanings, and the quest for the kind of truth that promotes effective action.
The result is the transformation of people and their ways of interacting and behaving, through a restructuring of the sense of their action. Here are three examples which clarify this approach.

1. CASES

Case 1. The drafting of a charter of values and the internalization of those values

Mandate. A medium-sized cosmetics company wishes to develop a course to draft a charter of company values.

Seminar. The process involved all the employees and was structured as 3 day-long sessions with the groups and another 3 with top management. The techniques used were the Socratic Dialogue, the Research Community and the argued debate.

Results. The management is satisfied with the work carried out. Greater unity and orientation toward the guiding values was established, along with a greater sense of belonging and satisfaction. Productivity has increased.

Example of the restructuring that took place:  “How is it possible? So then pursuing beauty at the expense of well-being is no good! I didn’t believe that the company shared this particular value of “mine” …!!!! As of today, I’ll be able to work with a greater feeling of satisfaction …”

Case 2. Building skills for the work group

Mandate. A multinational software company wants to create a course to develop the ability to work in a group, using people who have just graduated and will be employees or collaborators of their client companies.

Seminar. The process involved the neo-graduates in 6 encounters in a day for each group. The techniques used were Socratic Dialogue and the Research Community, and some techniques derived from psychology and biographical analysis (projective and narrative). In this case the Socratic Dialogue and the Research Community were used as both object (workgroup) and method for reflection on the object (metaprocess).

Results. The trainees are satisfied as well as the instructors and clients. One frequent comment is: “I didn’t think that through a confrontation with such apparently abstract things, that one could think about such concrete things. I feel as though I’ve changed my point of view on the various issues related to my relationship with others.”

Example of the restructuring that took place:  “Ah! We didn’t understand one another! And the objectives weren’t clear! It happens often … We have to be more careful about the way we express ourselves and to meet each other on the heart of the matter … And if we fight and don’t understand one another, we need to try to step back and find the common ground on which we were divided.”

Case 3. A studied leadership

Mandate. A High Tech multinational company wants to offer its managers a chance to reflect on the role of leader.

Seminar. The process lasted one day. The techniques used were Socratic Dialogue and the Research Community.

Risults. The work was satisfying for both the participants and the clients. Some of the comments were: “It seems to have broadened my mind,” “There are some things we never think about, but we need to, we need to get away from that sense of urgency … because otherwise there’s the risk of repeating oneself,” “I seem to have a clearer sense of what my job is about.”

Example of the restructuring that took place:  “Ah! If these are the things that count in the fatherhood experience … It’s true..!! Would you look at that: they’re the same things that count in the company …. I never imagined that my personal experience and working experience went along such similar lines!”

2. SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF THE METHODOLOGY

Philosophy, above all when it is put into practice, brings into play very specific techniques, exclusive for the most part, and which can be summarized as follows:

1. Radical interrogation

2. Orientation toward a continuous “reframing” of the problems, in view of the different, various and increasingly broad frames that have been introduced

3. Deconstruction, reconstruction and creation of concepts

4. Construction of philosophical questions: or those questions to which there is no answer already dictated by the already proven methods (sciences, practices, disciplines)

5. Exploration of the assumptions implicit in the theories, statements, beliefs, behaviours, values, etc. (explication of the “world visions”).

6. Problem building, finding and setting

7. Construction of the “problem constellation”

8. Articulation and integration of the various dimensions of experience into increasingly broader and more coherent groups

9. Seeking an effective truth in action

10. Seeking a shared and inclusive truth from the point of view of the other

11. Seeking wisdom through orientation toward the Good, the Fair and the Beautiful

12. Continuous comparison/confrontation with tested experience

3. TOOLS

The tools used by philosophical practice are numerous, and lie within the great and broad tradition of philosophical thought. To give a general idea, some of them are listed as follows.
Aristotolean logic

Non-ordinary logic
Essentialism
Transcendentalism
Dialectic
The suspension of judgment (epochè)
The theories of argumentation (rhetoric and others)
Phenomenology
Deconstructionism

………………………………

4. THE RESULTS OF THE PROCESS

Philosophical Practice is fundamentally based on an orientation toward interrogation or questioning – exactly as Socrates did, for example, asking soldiers what courage was, or asking the same of fishermen, fish vendors, or those governing … speaking with every one in the public square. This method triggers processes that all lead to an output which fosters an increase in creativity, flexibility and participation, and in greater detail:
1. Development in “questioning and self questioning”
2. A broadening of viewpoints
3. Reflection, problematization, suspension of judgment
4. “Stepping back” in regard to the solution, reconfiguration and problem setting
5. A conscious and pleasant experience in listening to and including others
6. An increase in active and productive listening
7. Group thinking and collective intelligence
8. Participation in the point of view of others
9. A deep sharing of all aspects of the experience
10. Removal of blocks in “blinkered” problem-solving, broadening of horizons
11. Experiencing the connection between thinking, feeling and doing
12. Listening to emotions and feelings from the perspective of their conceptualization
13. Greater coherency between thoughts, words and deeds
14. Perception and restructuring of the sense of what one does, lives and feels
15. A shift in focus on the objective to focus on the process
16. A shift in focus from the solution to its reference system
17. A shift in focus from the actual to the possible, from the actual happening to the virtual happening

In behavioural terms
The work of Philosophical Practice begins with the so called “cognitive” to then go deeper. This is in order to begin to de-categorize and then re-categorize concepts and experiences related to:

perceptions
emotions
values
beliefs
wishes

… the relationships between the variables change and greater coherency is achieved between them. This is followed by a change in behaviour related to all 5 of the spheres listed, due to true moments of insight, and cognitive and value restructuring… and therefore emotional and perceptual restructuring.

4. OBJECTIVES / AREAS of APPLICATION

Philosophical Practice, apart from achieving objectives related to its own process (see above) may be employed primarily to pursue the following objectives/areas of application

1. Team Building

2. Interpersonal communication

3. Active listening, open communication, thought including others

4. Listening and emotion management

5. Help in developing other relationship skills

6. Problem Setting, Problem Finding, Problem Building

7. Decision-making processes

8. Building vision and strategic orientation

9. Composing a charter of values

10. Internalizing concepts, meanings, values

11. Internalizing company mission and culture

12. Change in behaviours regarding company culture and values

13. Building and spread of values, and ethical and behavioural guidance

14. Development of Best Practises in relation to company values

15. Development of the self on emotional, ethical, “spiritual” and awareness levels

16. Development of “phronesis”: ability to evaluate and apply careful thought in uncertain situations

17. Ethical, thoughtful, inclusive and far-reaching leadership

18. Top group leadership

19.  Creative thinking

20. Critical thinking

21. Caring thinking

22. Monitoring for problems in the processes of change taking place

23. Managing complexity

24. Building shared group thought and identity

5. THE MAIN TECHNIQUES (THE PROCESSES)

Philosophical Counselling, or Philosophische Praxis, or Philosophical Practice began as a one-on-one practise. Its origin is traditionally attributed to Gerd B. Achenbach and it is based on free questioning and argumentation. It can be exercised in small groups, and organizations and companies often use this form for their seminars.
Socratic Dialogue was developed in an entirely original way at the beginning of the 1900s by Nelson and Heckmann. The Socratic Dialogue is a way of arriving at shared thinking based on the recounting of personal experiences. The aim of the activity is to reflect on an issue expressed through a question. The direction of thought triggered in this way fosters respect for the opinion of others, intellectual clarification, empathy and shared thinking. It also facilitates group communication on given topics, original and personal thinking, team building, shared conceptualization and awareness.
The Research Community is a community formed around the reading and interpretation of a text or some other stimulus (a film sequence, a painting …) which is highly pertinent to the problem under investigation. After a group reading, a search is made for the key words, the formulation of comments, and finally questions. The practice increases the ability to listen, take part in a dialogue, and share with a group. It was first practiced in experiments with children and young people by Matthew Lipman (PHILOSOPHY FOR CHILDREN)