The Social Impacts of Listening Practices in Religious Organisations: A Pilot Study - Steve Taylor

Summary:

When we stop and consider a time we felt listened to, we often recall feelings of belonging, connection, and acceptance. These feelings occur because listening offers attention, comprehension, and intention.[1] Listening is enhanced by “structures,” understood as processes and practices that deepen listening between individuals and in organisations.[2] This project applies research related to the science of listening to analyse how religious practices of listening might contribute to social connection and human flourishing.

In religious settings, the importance of listening in religious communities has gained recent attention. The current Catholic Synod on Synodality centres listening in a global exercise of discernment, which Pope Francis blessed by connecting listening with social flourishing.[3] Former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams called for a church that is “listening, looking, discerning” as it faces the future.[4] A range of religious activities could be said to facilitate listening, including contemplation, confession, examen and lectio divina. However, there is little, if any theoretical or empirical research into the social dynamics that surround these listening practices. Nor is there academic research into how religious groups can deepen their capacity to listen in group settings.

In psychology, there is a growing body of research into interpersonal practices of listening. Listening contributes to interpersonal social relationships as humans intentionally use their two ears to enhance social connection. Listening contributes to human flourishing by providing experiences of psychological safety in which individuals and organisations hear diverse perspectives even in contexts with power differentials. However, there is little psychological research into the science of listening practices in organisations, particularly religious groups.

Hence, research is needed to empirically understand how the science of listening in organisations might contribute to understanding social relationships and human flourishing in religious organisations. This project will undertake proof of concept research to clarify how the science of listening makes sense of the social impact of selected religious practices. This will involve, first, undertaking a literature review of research into religious practices as contributing to listening when conceptualised as offering attention, comprehension, and intention. Second, the conducting of a mixed-methods action-research intervention to assess the social impact of one religious listening practice. Quantitative data will be gathered using pre- and post-intervention psychological measures of listening. Qualitative data will be gathered from observation, participant research diaries and a summative focus group. Together, the literature review and mixed-methods intervention will provide a proof of concept assessment of the social impact of religious listening practices. The aim is not to examine if religious practices are listening structures. Rather the aim is to use the literature around psychological theories of listening in organisational contexts as an interpretive lens in understanding the social impact of religious practices.Hence, the data gathering the quantitative assessment of changes over time and the qualitative insights from novel research into how religious listening practices contribute to social connection and human flourishing. The results of the research will be presented in eight outputs, including an academic article, blog post, webinars and a conference presentation. The range of outputs is intended to offer science engaged theology to academia and contribute to the real worlds of religious communities and leaders.

Hence, the research project will offer theoretical, real-world and foundational outcomes. Theoretical, as the project creates an interdisciplinary dialogue between listening research in psychology and contemporary religious life. Practical, given the project explores how to deepen the real-world research within religious communities. Foundational, because the pilot study guides further research into how listening practices in religious organisation contribute to social connection and human flourishing.

[1] Avraham N. Kluger and Guy Itzchakov, “The Power of Listening at Work,” Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior 9 (2022): 121–46, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-012420-091013.

[2] Guy Itzchakov, “Improving Family and Romantic Relationship Through Listening | Psychology Today New Zealand,” accessed August 23, 2024, https://www.psychologytoday.com/nz/blog/the-listening-lens/202405/improving-family-and-romantic-relationship-through-listening.

[3] “Meeting on the Family (4 October 2014) | Francis,” accessed August 19, 2024, https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/october/documents/papa-francesco_20141004_incontro-per-la-famiglia.html.

[4] “God’s Mission and Ours in the 21st Century,” accessed August 19, 2024, http://rowanwilliams.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/779/gods-mission-and-ours-in-the-21st-century.