Why is good practice such a bad traveller?

Posted on August 19, 2012 by whatsthepont

A straightforward answer, good practice is a bad traveller because that’s the way we like it.

I’ve sat in a few conferences where there has been a bit of ‘hand wringing’, about why this is such a difficult pastime. We all know that sharing knowledge and good practice is the right thing to do, but there’s just not enough of it happening. The “bad traveler” suggestion is posed almost as an excuse, hinting at something slightly beyond our reach.

Well, I’m not convinced. The model of good practice transfer I understand is based upon three straightforward parts:

Sharing: you need a source of good practice knowledge that people are willing to share.

Seeking: people who are looking for good practice, are prepared to listen and accept what is useful to them.

Process: simple mechanisms that allow the two groups to communicate.

Here are my top six suggestions for why good practice isn’t travelling and getting its passport stamped at every opportunity:

Seeking

Ignorance – people genuinely don’t know what to do. In a world of Google and Wikipedia I think this is nonsense. I’d change ignorance to ‘willful ignorance’;
Hubris – “what can anyone possibly teach me?” Defined as an overconfident pride and arrogance. Hubris is often associated with a lack of humility and a lack of knowledge…..; and
Not Invented Here Syndrome – a bit like hubris. The view that nobody else would be clever enough to understand what you are doing or the “special” nature of your organisation or service;

Sharing

Knowledge is Power - “if I share what I know, you will be as clever and as powerful as I am”, often seen with subject matter experts. I understand the need to protect intellectual property, but if knowledge is so closely guarded that very few people know, it gets self-limiting.
Turf and Territory – a bit like knowledge is power. For some people, what they ‘own’ defines their power base and who they are. Giving up territory and turf is difficult.

Process

Ineffective Transfer Mechanisms – with so many organisations, professional bodies and amateur enthusiasts working hard to spread good practice, I’d argue that this isn’t a valid reason. If you want the information, it’s pretty much available somewhere.

This list has re-enforced for me the idea that knowledge transfer is a deeply social process. Almost everything I’ve listed is a human activity and I’d argue that the situation of ‘good practice being a bad traveller’ is a wholly social issue. At the end of the day, if people don’t want share and learn, it will never work effectively. As Dave Snowden says in his principles of knowledge exchange, “knowledge can only be volunteered it cannot be conscripted”. As we haven’t yet built a machine that successfully sucks the knowledge out of people’s heads, we need to acknowledge the social interaction element and get much better at it. Better we recognise this and direct our efforts here, rather than into ‘enabling’ IT systems.

For possible solutions, I’m only going to say one word (for the moment), trust. People are more likely to share information with someone they trust. It’s the reason why medieval torture machines (and computer databases) don’t really work. Better to have a chat together over a cup of tea (or glass of beer), and then I’ll tell you what you really need to know.

So what’s the PONT?

Good practice knowledge exchange is fundamentally a social process. IT solutions are a diversion away from the critical issue.
Knowledge can only be volunteered and never conscripted (Dave Snowden). If I trust you I will share.
Good practice is only a bad traveller because we choose through our social processes to make it one.

If you fancy finding out a bit more about the social aspects of knowledge exchange and some of the incredible things that can be achieved have a look at http://www.thenewsociallearning.com/ and read the book ’The New Social Learning’, it opened my eyes!

Linked post: On why low trust in an organisation costs you money.

http://whatsthepont.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/low-trust-costs-you-money/

If Carlsberg did Physics Teachers…. they would make Alessio Bernardelli.

Posted on June 14, 2012 by whatsthepont

I am totally inspired at the moment. Of all things it’s about physics, education and blogging, all thanks to Alessio Bernardelli.

Last night Alessio spoke at a WordPress Users Wales meeting about his blog and how he’s been using blogging in education. Here is his blog, please go and visit you won’t be disappointed (check out The Hidden Particles of Fishy Tank, brilliant).

Just to give you a taste of why I found it so inspirational, here’s an example of the sort of thing he does.

Last year he was teaching physics to Year 12 students (16/17 year olds). The subject area was photoelectricity and energy levels. As a past A Level physics student it rings distant bells but I don’t recall it being particularly exciting….. How wrong could I be?

What Alessio got the pupils to do, was write an ‘Ode to Photoelectricity’, a poem. Not what we did back in the day, but something that certainly gets you thinking, and requires considerably more effort than a ‘cut and paste’ from Wikipedia. So far so good. Next, the poems are posted as blogs, and the homework ‘marked’ (opened up for comments). This is great, everyone gets to see what everyone else is doing, and you get some helpful feedback. This is more than just learning physics; it’s acquiring the ‘giving and receiving feedback’ skill that just about every workplace I’ve experienced values greatly.

What happens next is even better. The assignment was about energy levels and photon emissions. This would also be blogged and then reviewed by the Year 6 (10/11 year old) kids in the local primary school. This is a real challenge in terms of understanding the science, and also the ability to communicate what you understand (great life skills again).

The best way to see the impact of this is to view the outputs via Alessio’s post on collaboration cross phase through blogging. Have a look at this very scientific presentation from some of the pupils. Standard power point stuff; similar to what many of us get served daily at work.

The solitary response from Year 6 pupils says it all.

As a contrast here is a link to another piece of homework, which makes full use of colour and animation to communicate the message. The comments speak for themselves, here’s a selection.

Interestingly, today I was at a conference where the message was being given that public service organisations in Wales need to develop a culture of accepting challenge and feedback. Perhaps Alessio is already developing these people for the future by teaching them physics in a fun and inspiring was. He certainly inspired me, thanks Alessio.

So, what’s the PONT?

Inspiring teachers really do make a difference.
Having fun at what you do is a key component to learning and engagement.
Blogging is much more than just broadcasting your views. Looking for, accepting and giving feedback is a skill lots of people (I know) could usefully develop.

Please don’t shoot the Piano Player……….. just provide a bullet proof vest

Posted on February 13, 2012 by whatsthepont

The good old expression, shoot the messenger has been around for ages, but it’s still very relevant, particularly to me.

Basically the (blameless) messenger, bearing bad news receives some form of punishment, just for being the unfortunate individual that delivered the message. Enough said, a pointless act, but it happens.

Here’s how my situation plays out. Friday night, out socialising with my wife when I am dispatched to phone the kids and check they are back home safely. My enquiries reveal that there has been an unfortunate incident involving teenagers, illicit drink and an elder brother videoing the embarrassing antics of his sibling which he is now sharing with their peer group. Oh joy.

I convey the bad news to my wife, “darling, the lads have been a little over exuberant tonight….” Massive failure on my part, and I end up full of metaphorical bullet holes, and apparently the cause of all the problems.

So, here is my guide to avoiding being shot as the messenger. As relevant I think to the world of work, as it is to domestic situations.

Narrow Expectations. Before you blurt out the message, just ask the question: “what were your expectations?” If expectations and reality are massively wide apart expect some gun smoke. This is where your opportunity to manage the message comes in. I’m not suggesting telling fibs, but warming people up a bit and narrowing the expectation gap can be useful. Alternatively you can just run away, like I should have when I found out my wife’s expectation was that the kids were at the Baptist Chapel Youth Club (on a friday night?).

Be Process Perfect. Don’t allow anyone to pick holes in your process or actions as the messenger. There is an interesting phrase ad hominem which is about undermining something by pointing out a negative characteristic or belief of the person supporting it. I’m talking about the same sort of thing here. Don’t give people the opportunity to undermine you as the messenger by following instructions and process perfectly. In my case this was a rapidly delivered job. Phone kids (several times), also phone their friends, check in with grandma, make sure nothing is on Facebook, deliver threats about posting on Facebook etc. Quickly return to my wife with the message, without lingering at the bar for a fortifying drink, and most importantly, not having a laugh at the video myself. Perfect, I’ve done as I was told.

Don’t wrestle with pigs. Because you will just get dirty and the pigs really enjoy it. This expression is attributed George Bernard Shaw but I’ve seen it used to describe lots of situations. For me the gist is, don’t get involved in arguments or discussions where the other party isn’t prepared to hear bad news, however compelling the facts or evidence. In my situation this meant sticking to a clear explanation of the facts, not justifying anything, not blaming anyone and trying to extract myself as quickly as possible, by offering solutions.

Disclaimer: I would like to point out that I would never make this wrestling comparison to any discussion with my wife; this is for illustrative purposes only.

In the end, everything worked out fine. It actually was a bit of teenage over exuberance and we have a whole week of half term (oh joy) for the dust to settle. Something else far more entertaining, (involving other people’s kids hopefully), is bound to have happened in the meanwhile. I’m sure that some of these lessons could be transferred into the world of work; after all, it’s not that different to dealing with truculent teenagers.

So, what’s the PONT?

As the messenger who delivers bad news, expect to get shot. So invest in some body armour.
Manage the ‘expectation gap’ and be process perfect.
Finally, under no circumstances wrestle with the pigs!

“Please don’t shoot the Piano Player –he’s doing the best he can”, is from the 1860’s Wild West.

Laughter turns strangers into friends………… sometimes

Posted on December 8, 2011 by whatsthepont

This week I’ve been attending the Distinguished Lecture Series at Cardiff University where I heard Professor Robin Dunbar (yes, he of Dunbar’s number) talk about some incredibly interesting topics. I aim to post a few things about the whole lecture series, but for the minute here is what’s grabbing me, the importance of laughter and humour in human relationships.

I’ve been struggling with this for a while after someone suggested to me that humour in the workplace was about ‘hiding from the truth’, ’not dealing with difficult things’ and ‘not confronting our buried emotions’. Blimey, that’s all a bit distressing and depressing. As I’ve always tried to have as much fun as I can in work, using humour and laughter, I must really be suppressing something huge!

Fortunately Professor Dunbar said a few things that have lifted my spirits and put me back on track:

Laughter triggers the uptake of endorphins in the body which makes us feel happy;
Laughter increases our tolerance to pain (so it is the ‘best medicine’);
Laughing with other people helps to form emotional bonds with them;
The more we share a sense of humour with someone the more we feel engaged with them; and
Laughter turns strangers into friends (sounds like a strap line for some Christmas drink advert, but it makes a lot of sense to me).

I’m not doing credit here to what Professor Dunbar said and I would encourage you to watch the video. What this has done however is given me the chance to relive one of my most epic failures, where an attempt to introduce humour into the workplace almost cost me a friend.

My friend was having a great deal of trouble trying to get their superiors to make a decision. The process involved countless iterations of a business case, double and triple checking, risk assessments, procurement policy checks and meetings to go over and over the same ground. You may be familiar with this, or have heard about a similar type of situation, its shocking, I know.

Like all good friends I listened to their troubles over several weeks and tried to offer comfort and advice where I could. As it happens about this time I was on holidays in the US where I saw this ‘Make a Decision’ note pad and my friends predicament came straight to mind. Perfect I think, a bit of humour is just the thing to get things moving.

: Make a Decision notepad. I laughed!

It sank like a lead balloon.

The boxes to fill in on the ‘Make a Decision’ form were leapt upon with greedy enthusiasm, but when it got down to the detail there were totally bemused responses. “what do they mean by ‘apocalypse’ for worse case scenario? Do we have a corporate definition of apocalypse?”. This might of course have been an elaborate double bluff, but I don’t think so. Some rapid diversion tactics were required and refocusing onto some familiar territory like, ‘updating the risk register’. Perfect, order restored.

In our post project learning (over beer) my friend and I discussed where it had all gone wrong. Definitely the delivery method could have been better (they say comedy is all about the timing), but for this audience a blatant attempt at humour was probably just too alien.

So, what’s the PONT?

Humour and laughter are useful but you need to consider the audience. For some groups and settings it’s just too alien.
Getting the delivery and timing right is important. Tabling the ‘Make a Decision’ form enthusiastically at a project update meeting was not the best option.
Put yourself in their shoes. This was probably seen as highly threatening to the group rather than something humorous. A real shame.

Picture source (also available to purchase) http://www.perpetualkid.com/make-a-decision-notepad.aspx

Kaizen! Toast v Beer, Who Wins?

Posted on June 18, 2011 by whatsthepont

Wales shaped Toast, how good is this. Genius!

I love You Tube, it a great resource for sharing and learning but sadly not widely used by public services (in many organisations it’s blocked, like most social media). I’m also quite interested in beer, so this grabbed my attention, particularly when you throw in Kaizen.

Amongst the dozens of You Tube videos on Kaizen, these two really caught my attention, Kaizen Toast and Kaizen Beer! Both practically explain the principles of Kaizen but from slightly different angles. I thought it would be a bit of fun to compare them and see which one wins, so here goes.

As the enlightened know, we will need some quantitative data and some contextual narrative information for this. The numbers are accurate, but not always believable, the narrative is believable, but not always accurate. If we put them together we will get something accurate, believable and overall convincing.

Toast v Beer Kaizen – Metrics Table (17 June 2011)

Indicator	TOAST!	BEER!	Why use this indicator?
Views	59,177	5,129	More might mean better?
Likes	19	9	User feedback, excellent
Dislikes	5	2	More customer feedback, even better
Comments #	13	4	Level of feeling & opinion generated
Comments +\-ve	40\60 ish	90\10 ish	Hmm, hard to judge what they mean
Duration	5.12 min / 30 mins	9.30 min	Too long = boring (potentially)
Awards	Shingo	No	Someone else thinks it’s good

Well, Toast looks like the winner, but let’s consider the narrative behind the
numbers.

Toast Kaizen, is produced by the Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership and is presented by their Shingo Prize recipient Bruce Hamilton. The video gives an introduction to Toast Kaizen, applying Kaizen to a familiar setting, the kitchen, and a familiar process, making toast. If you want the full 30min version (available in 11 languages) you’ll need to buy it ($99). A quality You Tube video which Kaizen enthusiasts and learners will no doubt enjoy.

Beer Kaizen! , this is a very funny take on the world of Kaizen, focussing on a ‘work activity’ I can really understand, drinking beer with my friends. The 9.30 mins flew by and I think I actually learned a lot about Kaizen. My personal beer distribution system is now worthy of a Six Sigma Black Belt. Even an untrained operative (kids friends), or reluctant/resistant workers (my kids) can now successfully serve me up a beer. Actually the video is a homage to the Toast Kaizen video, but it does the trick very cleverly.

So what’s the PONT?

Hopefully you’ve picked up a bit of learning about Kaizen by watching those videos. Lots of things on YouTube are great resource, it’s not all keyboard cat (excellent though it is!).
Humour is used in both of these videos, a great way of getting learning transferred.
Different things work for different audiences (beer for me), I think that both videos are winners, nice one guys.

Brains Beer Tapas, more Welsh genius.

What's the PONT

Bridging People and Ideas……

Tag Archives: Beer

Please don’t shoot the Piano Player……….. just provide a bullet proof vest

Laughter turns strangers into friends………… sometimes

Kaizen! Toast v Beer, Who Wins?

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