A presentation at FOSDEM in in Brussels, Belgium by erik riedel
Collaboration Is The Better Way Lauri Apple, Senior Program Manager, Public Cloud, Workday Erik Riedel, Founder, Works Together @Lauri_Apple & @er1p
introduction introduction @Lauri_Apple (she/her) @er1p (he/him)
• intro • communicating in tech • communication magic • empathy as a skill • shared goals • inclusion - collaboration across cultures • q&a
“the practice of an art requires discipline” — Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving discipline - not rigid, but an expression of one’s own will concentration - requires reflection, listening to others patience just going to work, having meetings, working on teams, doesn’t make us disciplined or collaborative. hierarchies don’t make us collaborative either, they inspire rebelliousness.
common problems in tech projects ● ● ● ● ● “it’s always like this, missed deadlines low productivity (“we need more time”) all projects are like this, it’s the cost of poor quality (rush to finish) doing (tech) high turnover (people keep leaving) business” difficulty recruiting (can’t find good people)
collaboration gets things done of course EVERYTHING on the previous slide is TRUE BUT that doesn’t get things done COLLABORATION does
communicating
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● GitHub issues PRs/code Which channels are Slack the most challenging Meetings to you? Meetups Google docs Social media 1:1’s Mailing lists (not so much anymore)
10 principles for collaboration ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● self-aware = resilience self-disciplined = high-performance head over heart = waste reduction mindful empathy = retention keep learning = growth mindset use different modes = flexibility focus on activities = results-orientation values and ethics drive = integrity “client defines success” = profitability, customer focus cultural competency = diversity and inclusion Source: Intentional Relationship Model Clearinghouse, http://irm.ahslabs.uic.edu/what-is-the-irm/
why be intentional? reduce or eliminate: ● ● ● ● conflicts, drama waste, delays confusion ● misalignment ● ● ● protects collaboration builds trust reduces cognitive load drives experimentation
when we are not being intentional, we… ● ● ● ● make assumptions, jump to conclusions don’t ask for what we need become frustrated, ruminate lose opportunities rely on mind-reading powers we don’t have.
communicating better with text exercise — create 2 scripts we can use to help us diffuse our triggers and communicate with empathy example — “Thank you for trying to understand my point. However, I think where we’re still misaligned. Is … what do you think?” example — “Thank you for your enthusiasm! I’ve noted your concerns and believe we might handle this concern/situation by [alternative idea]…”
communication magic
the more communication, the better… increased communication frequency increased communication freshness archival history (for those jumping in) wide sharing ○ across time zones ○ across geographies ○ across organizations ● …and more… ● ● ● ●
empathy as a skill
empathy audit ● on a scale of 1 to 5 (low to high), how would you rate your empathy? ● when you aren’t communicating “empathetically enough,” what does that feel like in your body/mind? ● when you are communicating empathetically, how does that feel? ● do you reflect on your communication to improve collaboration?
empathy exercises ● ● ● ● when you are frustrated, stop. but what if you’re so busy you can’t stop? can you find a way to build in pauses? example — journal or talk to a peer about your stress.
count your breaths. exercise meditation minute as you inhale, silently think 1, exhale 2, inhale 3, exhale 4 … all the way to 10. repeat 3 times.
personal README (Katie Womersley, Buffer): https://github.com/KatieLo/README
shared goals
teams != me + me + me + me five dysfunctions of a team (Lencioni) — absence of trust — inattention to results — avoidance of responsibility — lack of commitment — fear of conflict put the US in trust
teams gotta have goals…
…but what goals?
iterate them…
getting to goals ● customer focus ○ user experience as an equalizer ● brainstorming ○ the group agrees, not top-down ● task breakdown & tracking ○ agile, sprints, epics, epochs ● revisit assumptions ○ …and adjust
inclusion
exercise have cultural curiosity ● what’s one thing you can do to increase your awareness? ● do you ask people about their backgrounds and lives? ● do you approach people as a mentor? ● do you consider people’s mood, circumstances, stress levels, working conditions? ● RIGHT NOW - ask your neighbor to tell you TWO cultural things about them that are not obvious.
● diverse backgrounds, diverse approaches inclusion ○ ○ diverse experiences everyone has a different lived experience ● more perspectives improve the results ○ ALWAYS improve the results ● breaking down the rockstar mentality ○ ○ consider the view as the “rockstar” consider views from the rest of the team ● “ancillary” items are critical ○ docs, design, user experience ● not enough hours in the day => burn out
● resources Artwork ○ ● Manager README ○ ● ● Katie Womersley, Buffer https://github.com/KatieLo/README Maintainer README ○ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Fd-rkENsKyxOvlU00IUIHnsJnS5_B7krEE1GVdAwwnI/edit# ○ Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License: Lara Hogan 10 principles for collaboration ○ ● large stock photos & backgrounds all from pexels.com (royalty free) Intentional Relationship Model Clearinghouse http://irm.ahslabs.uic.edu/what-is-the-irm/ Brainstorming for goals, projects, designs ○ Brainstorming - 8 Rules, Interaction Design Foundation https://public-media.interaction-design.org/pdf/Brainstorm.pdf
thank you
Do you wish that your project team was more productive? Do you struggle with communication and project quality? Are you missing opportunities to make a bigger impact because of ineffective communication? Are you unsure why there is turnover among your most effective contributors? Do you see the benefits that collaboration brings to other projects, but are unsure how it could apply to you & your project team?
This session will present a set of specific examples & stories from our direct experience of the benefits of open collaboration to enable more productive & effective open source development.
We believe that the desire to assist each other & to collaborate is often present but unrealized. Many projects have established systems & styles of communication that limit opportunities for creative interaction, reduce flexibility, & ultimately restrict effective community engagement and results.
Our focus is on 3 key themes: collaboration is more effective than siloed work - reducing barriers between collaborators and communities; open source & open collaboration represent success stories of more interaction creating better technology AND better business results; collaboration is inclusion - when more voices are heard, both results & culture are improved.
The power of open source projects & associated cross-company, cross-disciplinary collaboration are much discussed & highly valued. In order to achieve the true benefits of open source tech & open ecosystems, invest in adjustments to your approaches & processes. You might need to make cultural changes in addition to technical changes. The examples we discuss are applicable to individual contributors, as well as leaders & managers/maintainers.
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