Responsiveness in Organization and Management Theory

Abstract

Why responsiveness? The initial motivation and interest for a research subject is rarely made explicit and can hardly be rationalized — at best in an ex post effort to do so. However, I would like to explicate where and how my interest in responsiveness and dialogue initially came from. Beyond the analytical dimension of this study, a historical perspective on the genesis of the topic might provide the reader with a broader frame for reading this study. My interest in responsiveness and dialogue can be discerned from my biography on the one hand, and from the practical experience as facilitator and process consultant in the Organization Development (OD) project called “Learning through Listening” (LTL) on the other.