The Design of Conferences and the Evolving Role of Democratic Dialogue in Changing Working Life

Abstract
The use of encounters of various types, such as workshops and conferences is, today, very common in organizational change projects. The design of encounters can be guided by different types of theory. In Norway, a development has occurred which implies the application of democratic theory to encounters. They are used for the explicit purpose of training the participants in democratic procedures. Such training is crucial as the concept of workplace democracy is no longer defined in terms of specific patterns of organization but in terms of how the patterns are created. The use of democratic dialogue for the purpose of changing working life implies a new role for democratic dialogue because, contrary to what was the case in the emergent phase of the liberal democracies, work experience must be the basis for participation.

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