Kick ‘Em or Keep ‘Em - Collaborating on our own Deserted Islands

A presentation at Deserted Island DevOps in April 2020 in by Matt Stratton

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Kick ‘Em or Keep ‘Em Collaborating on our own Deserted Islands Matt Stratton Transformation Specialist Red Hat @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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@mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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blah blah blah collaboration @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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blah blah blah empathy @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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blah blah blah @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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“Our analysis found that this culture of psychological safety is predictive of software delivery performance, organizational performance, and productivity”

Accelerate State of DevOps Report 2019 @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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cool cool cool @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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cool cool cool how do we do it? @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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Psychological safety @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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“[Psychological safety is] a sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass, reject, or punish someone for speaking up.” ‒ Amy Edmondson Professor, Harvard Business School @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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Approach conflict as a collaborator Not as an adversary @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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Speak human to human “Just like me” @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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Replace blame with curiosity You donʼt have all the facts @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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Model vulnerability Create emotional bonds @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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Blameless facilitation @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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“Humans are hardwired through millions of years of evolutionary neurobiology and thousands of years of social conditioning to use the technique of blaming as a way to give voice to painful and uncomfortable feelings, in order to effectively disperse them from our psyches” ‒ J. Paul Reed Senior Applied Resilience Engineer, Netflix @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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Facilitator’s Role • Encourage people to speak up, and make sure that everyone is heard. • Clarify insights and challenge the team with questions. • Help the team to see different angles and different options. • Keep everyone on time and on track. Cut off tangents and stop people from dominating the entire meeting. @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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• Do not make decisions. • Do not take sides. • Try to speak as little as possible. • Be a shadow that guides discussions, not a presenter who takes over the meeting. @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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De-escalating conflict @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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“We do not look for compromise; rather, we seek to resolve the conflict to everyone’s complete satisfaction.” ‒ Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D. @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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@mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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Nonviolent Communication • Observations • Feelings • Needs • Requests @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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Observations What I observe (see, hear, remember, imagine…free from my evaluations) that does or does not contribute to my well-being: “When I (see, hear) …” What you observe (see, hear, remember, imagine…free from my evaluations) that does or does not contribute to your well-being: “When you (see, hear) …” @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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Feelings How I feel (emotion or sensation rather than thought) in relation to what I observe: “I feel …” How you feel (emotion or sensation rather than thought) in relation to what you observe: “When you (see, hear) …” @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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Needs What I need or value (rather than a preference or a specific action) that causes my feelings: “… because I need/value …” What you need or value (rather than a preference or a specific action) that causes your feelings: “… because you need/value …” @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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Requests • Clearly requesting that which would enrich my life without demanding • Empathetically receiving that which would enrich your life without hearing any demand @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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Requests The concrete actions I would like taken: “Would you be willing to …” The concrete actions you would like taken: “Would you like …” @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” ‒ African Proverb @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps

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https://speaking.mattstratton.com @mattstratton Deserted Island DevOps