Career Planning and Development Resources

Insight Dialogic Inquiry (IDI)

      Overview
      Background
      Process
      IDI Example

Process

After the dyad (the two people involved) decides to conduct an IDI, the following steps should be taken.

1. Decide on the basic schedule. In general, it can take from 4 to 6 weeks to conduct an IDI with three cycles. If the work is done primarily online through email, the hourly requirement per week may run as little as 2 hours. Much depends on the amount of time the co-researchers want to spend.

2. Define the domain of inquiry, as defined by the nature of the question or task that brought the dyad together. Various pieces of text that embody or address the dynamics of the work can serve as source material. Text can come from transcripts generated by people in dialogue or it can come from other sources the dyad wants to use as a means of expanding consciousness.

3. Generate the specific study question. The question may (and often does) change during the IDI.

4. Select specific texts. The dyad will examine elements of any initial transcript and other desired texts, and then will select the opening text upon which the sweeps will be done. Existing materials such as journals, transcripts, or foundational texts of joint interest are possibilities. If a series of texts are selected, plans are made with regard to how much material will be involved with each set of sweeps.

5. Choose contemplative frames. Each dyad member holds each contemplative frame selected as the texts are swept. A set of frames may be selected before the sweeps begin, or a specific frame may be selected before each sweep. Frames may involve a broad scope such as fear or personal motivation, or they may be very concrete regarding a specific idea such as getting an MBA for career advancement.

6. Decide on the type of sweeps. The dyad will use a minimum of three sweeps on each set of text in each cycle. They will decide beforehand if they want to use individual sweeps (one person working alone) followed by relational sweeps (both people working together) or whether they will use only relational sweeps. Relational sweeps involve the two researchers doing a meditative dialogue together on text they have previously produced together.

7. Select communication tools. There are different media which can be used to communicate, such as via an online group tool with an asynchronous thread; email; instant messaging; or an online meeting system.

The tool or tools the dyad members select will dictate to a great extent how they will approach the text as a team and whether they will always be together or will sometimes work separately. Any dyad will function slightly differently due to the interests, skills, and available time of the members.

Cycles of Textual Analysis and Dialogue
Following completion of the preliminary seven steps, the dyad will complete three cycles of textual analysis and dialogue, with each cycle consisting of at least three separate sweeps. Three cycles and three sweeps is a minimum requirement in order to go deeply into the texts and allow for sufficient exploration and dialogue. The dyad will decide what schedule it wants to keep.

First cycle
Sweep one is relational: dyad members work together, whether face-to-face or by telephone. They each enter into a meditative state and begin to review their initial text using their first contemplative frame. Entering into a meditative state involves several elements. Each participant is requested to use a brief process to consciously breathe and reflect for a few moments on the breath itself as a way to relax and center energy; bring focus to the text, the contemplative frame selected, and the research question; and maintain awareness of the other dyad member in addition to her or his own bodily sensations, feelings, and thoughts. Using a relational sweep, together the dyad goes through the text carefully, noting in their dialogue -- done within the initial text -- what arises for spirit, body, and mind. Later, one of the dyad members removes text that was not addressed, keeping the new text written by the dyad, in preparation for sweep two. The dyad decides how to distinguish each new set of sweep text, possibly by using a different type or color of font, or indenting under the original text.

Sweep two may be individual or relational. The dyad uses its second contemplation frame, as decided at the beginning of the inquiry, or selected jointly before sweep two. After the sweep is completed, one of the dyad members removes text that was not addressed in that sweep, keeping the new text written by the dyad, in preparation for sweep three. The text of sweep two is distinguished in some way.

Sweep three may be individual or relational. The dyad uses its third contemplation frame, as decided at the beginning of the inquiry or selected jointly before the third sweep. After the sweep is completed, one of the dyad members removes text that was not addressed in that sweep, keeping the new text written by the dyad. The text of sweep three is distinguished in some way.

Here is a brief example of a cycle with three sweeps, using three different colors of text and indenting to distinguish each separate sweep.

Sweep one, joint sweep (blue color chosen for text):
Mary: I’ve found myself discouraged by the experiences I’ve had in managing my career.
Susan: I find a judgment arises about my work as I read your words; I judge my own discouragement.

Sweep two, individual sweep (red color chosen for text):
Mary: As I read these words a second time I’m aware of my judgments of myself. I feel like crying. I note an awareness of how I have been hard on myself, and just now have the insight that this in and of itself may contribute to keeping me from my goals.

Sweep three, individual sweep (green color chosen for text):
Mary: Self judgment can be so unconscious.
Susan: Bringing self judgment into awareness is a practice I want to develop. I want to learn to stop sabotaging myself with this kind of thinking.

Second cycle and beyond
The sweeping process continues with another set of text that the dyad selected before the inquiry began or decided to use after the first cycle. Journals and reflection papers can also be used in addition to the transcripts. They can be used as a form of triangulation or as material for additional sweeps.

Completing the cycles
Each co-researcher sweeps the final three (or more) transcripts from each cycle and highlights any material viewed as redundant. The co-researchers then compare their work, and material is eliminated if both individuals highlighted it as redundant. One of the dyad members creates a final, single transcript for each cycle out of this effort.

The narrative portrait
The co-researchers then individually sweep the final transcripts from each cycle and highlight any material they consider redundant. The two transcripts are compared and any material that both researchers have highlighted is deleted. A final transcript, the distillation, is generated from this step.

Using the distillation, the dyad generates a final narrative portrait. The co-researchers pass the material back and forth between them, working with the text, changing it, and including new elements such as poems, images, and stories about the experience itself – all the while in a meditative state. When the narrative portrait is completed it can be included as part of a personal journal of transformation. It may be shared with others or held privately, depending upon circumstances.

Validation is maintained through the interaction of the mindful researchers themselves. If the researchers are meditating and contemplating the comments that arise from the interactions, it steadily keeps solipsism (the philosophical theory that the self is all that you know to exist) at bay, and constantly supports the awareness of each researcher. All the way through the process to the very end there is a constant and fluid member check on a moment-by-moment basis.

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