Entering the dialogue

A short review of an enlightening book

A while ago I read this enlightening book “Social construction: entering the dialogue” by Gergen & Gergen. It made a lasting impression on me. While reading it caused many ‘bleeps’. Bleeps are my light bulb moments, my epiphanies. This book questions perspectives and brings new ones. Since then I have come to know social constructionism – in the way Gergen & Gergen conceptualise it – as a philosophical approach or a stance that sits very well with me.

Social constructionism asserts that there is no objective reality ‘out there’. We construct meaning through our collaborative activities. How we construct meaning depends on who we are, what we have lived through. And since our pasts differ we construct reality differently. This acknowledgement of different perspectives is what I particularly like about social constructionism. There is not one transcendent ‘Truth’ (with a capital ‘T’), but there is truth within community.

I remember the story Benjamin Zander narrated of the two shoe salesmen who travelled the world looking for opportunities to sell shoes? They found this barefooted community. One salesman experienced the situation as hopeless since no one wore shoes, while the other reported a golden opportunity since no one wore shoes. It illustrates how we look at the same thing, but add different meaning to it.

When we experience a problem, it has to do with the meaning we have attached to it. Bad feelings are the result of bad constructions, which can be replaced. How? Through restorying. Restorying allows us to bring change to situations by deconstructing meaning and reconstructing the narrative we have created for ourselves, our organisations, our world. Restorying is such a powerful instrument as it creates opportunities for transforming problems.

If you take a minute and think about what all this implies, you’ll realise the potential of a social constructionist stance.

Buy the book or call me and I will lend you mine. You’ll finish it in one breath. And after that we might have an entertaining discussion about it. Drop me a note at banoyi@creativescrum.nl, give me a call or text me at: 06-53 36 37 94.