There seem to be some interesting Design Patterns in common between Alinsky-style community organizing and Scrum. In this talk, I explore what makes each unique, and what they share in common. In particular, I suggest that looking at Design Patterns might help practitioners in both spheres, as well as traditional project managers, build more effective teams.
The original talk was given to a PMI Roundtable. From the feedback to the talk, I was reminded that not even Project Managers necessarily know much about Agile or Scrum. For a broader audience of organizers, how much more so. I have therefore added several slides about Agile in general, and Scrum as a popular Agile methodology. Hopefully, I'll get to test them out at future talks and/or they'll be useful to people who find these slides on SlideShare.
Change Management Session for the reflection of the theory of author Frederic Laloux at the HR Barcamp 2015
Jörn Hendrik, ffluid, @jormason
Philipp, FELD M, @philippkraemer
27.02.2015, Berlin
Change Management Session for the reflection of the theory of author Frederic Laloux at the HR Barcamp 2015
Jörn Hendrik, ffluid, @jormason
Philipp, FELD M, @philippkraemer
27.02.2015, Berlin
Sjoerd Luteyn and Martijn Kersten share the fundamental need for a new understanding of purpose to build capacity. Introducing the two-fold purpose of organizations , uniting around new purposes and bringing change and capacity building from the inside.
Leadership Development: A Process of Un-doing UnderstandingEric Kaufman
As Extension professionals, we are called to promote and support the leadership necessary for a wide variety of education programs. There is no shortage of books on leadership, but it can be difficult to discern the practical guidance appropriate for the context and stakeholders of Extension. Within this webinar, we revisit conventional leadership concepts and frame them in light of new insights. As a result of the webinar, participants will be able to identify resources that can be used to guide distributed and networked approaches to leadership.
Barriers to Change: Understanding Roadblocks to Progress in Organizations and...4Good.org
We all say that we desire change yet, it seems so difficult for it to actually occur. In this webinar, learn more about the barriers to change that keep us from moving forward in our personal, professional and organizational lives.
Sjoerd Luteyn and Martijn Kersten share the fundamental need for a new understanding of purpose to build capacity. Introducing the two-fold purpose of organizations , uniting around new purposes and bringing change and capacity building from the inside.
Leadership Development: A Process of Un-doing UnderstandingEric Kaufman
As Extension professionals, we are called to promote and support the leadership necessary for a wide variety of education programs. There is no shortage of books on leadership, but it can be difficult to discern the practical guidance appropriate for the context and stakeholders of Extension. Within this webinar, we revisit conventional leadership concepts and frame them in light of new insights. As a result of the webinar, participants will be able to identify resources that can be used to guide distributed and networked approaches to leadership.
Barriers to Change: Understanding Roadblocks to Progress in Organizations and...4Good.org
We all say that we desire change yet, it seems so difficult for it to actually occur. In this webinar, learn more about the barriers to change that keep us from moving forward in our personal, professional and organizational lives.
What Can One Person Do Secondary Research Project Y.docxphilipnelson29183
What Can One Person Do?
Secondary Research Project
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to create a shareable educational
resource about a particular structural inequality. In it, you will 1) describe the structural
inequality and 2) recommend at least 1 specific action people can take to help disrupt,
dismantle, or otherwise work against that structure. There are 3 major components to this
project: the resource itself, a 2-3 page reflection piece, and a Works Cited. Instructions
for each can be found below.
In doing this assignment, you’ll get the chance to:
• Synthesize information and ideas you’ve come across in the
readings, conversations, and assignments.
• Reflect on how education can be a crucial component of being an
active, engaged member of your community and of society as a
whole.
• Produce a concrete resource that you can put out into the world
about your topic.
Educational Resource Instructions
For the resource itself, I’m giving you a fair amount of freedom. You have to create an
educational resource, but the exact form it takes is really up to you. Some options people
have done in the past:
• Write an editorial/article about your topic that could be submitted
to a newspaper or other periodical. (You don’t have to actually
submit it.)
• Create a brochure about your topic that can be printed and
distributed.
• Create a short zine about your topic that can be printed and
distributed.
• Produce a short podcast or video about your topic.
• Create a blog post (with links for more info) about your topic.
• Create a website about your topic.
• Create an educational board game or video game about your topic.
• Something else that you come up with (and get approved by me)
While you have a lot of freedom for the form of the project, there are certain criteria that
all projects must meet. To get full credit your resource must:
• Be targeted towards a particular audience (likely a particular
group of stakeholders for the issue)—Think about whom you want
to reach. Who is likely to care about the issue if they learned about
it? Who might be willing and able to take action?
o Your target audience should influence the form and
language of the project. For example, you probably
wouldn’t create a video game if your target audience is
Idaho congresspeople (or maybe you would?).
• Contain the following components
1. A short background on the situation. Explain what is going
on, how it’s unequal, and why we should care about it.
2. A description of the communities that are most impacted by
the issue and how they are impacted. This is related to the
previous component; one way to make people care about an
issue is to show them the harm it is causing to a particular
group of people.
3. A description of at least 1 important cultural story or belief
that helps sustain the conditions of inequality. As Schwalbe
argues in Ch. 4—Arresting the Imagination, cul.
4 Part One Introduction Welcome to the Field of Organizati.docxgilbertkpeters11344
4 Part One Introduction
Welcome to the Field of Organizational Behaviorl
The opening story about Brasilata reveals some important truths about organizations that
succeed in todays turbulent environment. I n every sector of the economy, organizations
need to be innovative, employ skilled and motivated people who can work in teams, have
leaders wi th foresight and vision, and make decisions that consider the interests of multiple
stakeholders. In other words, the best companies succeed through the concepts and prac-
tices that we discuss in this book on organizational behavior.
The purpose of this book is to help you understand what goes on in organizations, in -
cluding the thoughts and behavior of employees and teams. We examine the factors that
make companies effective, improve employee well-being, and drive successful collabora-
tion among coworkers. We look at organizations from numerous and diverse perspectives,
from the deepest foundations of employee thoughts and behavior (personahty, self-concept,
commitment , etc.) to the complex interplay between the organization's structure and
culture and its external environment. Along this journey, we emphasize why things happen
and what you can do to predict and manage organizational events.
We begin in this chapter by introducing you to the field of organizational behavior (OB)
and why it is important to your career and to organizations. Next, this chapter describes the
"ultimate dependent variable" i n OB by presenting the four main perspectives of organiza-
tional effectiveness. This is followed by an overview of three challenges facing organiza-
tions: global izat ion, increasing workforce diversity, and emerging employment
relationships. We complete this opening chapter by describing four anchors that guide the
development of organizational behavior knowledge.
The Field of Organizational Behavior
"r" I Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of what people think, feel, and do in and around
' organizations. It looks at employee behavior, decisions, perceptions, and emotional
responses. It examines how individuals and teams in organizations relate to one another and
to their counterparts in other organizations. OB also encompasses the study of how organi-
zarions interact wi th their external environments, particularly in the context of employee
behavior and decisions. OB researchers systematically study these topics at multiple levels of
analysis, namely, the individual, team (including interpersonal), and organization.^
The definition of organizational behavior begs the question: What are organizations?
Organizations are groups of people who work interdependently toward some purpose.^
Notice that organizations are not buildings or government-registered entities. In fact, many
organizations exist without either physical walls or government documentation to confer
their legal status. Organizations have existed for as long as people have worked together.
M.
Organisational AnalysisPower, Control and Coalition.docxvannagoforth
Organisational Analysis
Power, Control and Coalition
‹#›
1
Organisational Power, Control and Conflict
Objectives:
Introduce the concepts of power, control, conflict and coalition
Understanding a subjectivist approach to analysis
Powerful internal and external stakeholders
Analysing the roots of dissatisfaction, dissent, suspicion and coalition
Is worker coalition the answer?
‹#›
2
Critical Organisational Analysis and Strategy Development
Strategy Development
Resource Based View
External Environment
External Stakeholders
Internal
Stakeholders
Inward Looking
Outward Looking
‹#›
PESTEL
Political
Economic
Social
Technology
Environment
Legal
Strategy Development Framework
Outwards looking organisations
‹#›
A Precarious Balance of Power for Organisations
In strategic management:
We look at resources within the organisation
Internal stakeholder engagement
And we look outside organisational boundaries
External stakeholder engagement
Identifying social and environmental issues that matter most to performance in order to improve decision-making and accountability.
‹#›
Critical Theory as an Analytical Tool
Critical Theory as enabling managers to understand both sides of an argument
Understand that arguments are intractable because they emanate from people holding different assumptions
‹#›
The Need to Go Beyond “Rationality”
Organisations are portrayed as systems of oppression, rather than as systems of order
Stories of social divisions, power, exploitation, inequality and conflict within organisations
Social classes in organisations exist and are in conflict
Emergence of pejorative language in the description of organisations:
“Capitalist organisations alienate and exploit workers” (Burawoy, 1979)
‹#›
Critical Theory Analysis
Critical Theorist: Systems of Oppression
Systems of Production: Places of Work
Capitalist organisations alienate and exploit workers
Worker emancipation requires the establishment of a more democratic and egalitarian organisation
‹#›
Critical Theory Analysis
Organisations are analysed as capitalist class relations (i.e. owner and labourer).
Organisations are portrayed in terms of
Capitalist mode of production characterised by exploitation and alienation of the workers by the owners of the means of production
Calls for worker emancipation, and for the establishment of a more democratic and egalitarian organisation
The emergence of a ‘critical’ organisational discourse.
In the US:
C. Wright Mills (1956) The Power Elite
Alvin Gouldner (1954) Patterns of Industrial Bureaucracy
(1955) Wildcat Strike
In the UK:
Ralf Dahrendorf (1959) Class and Class Conflict In An Industrial Society
‹#›
Justification for Critical Theory Analysis
If organisations do not recognise and address problems, then these problems are often exposed in more uncomfortable settings:
Social media
News reports
“Haterade” (excessive negativity, criticism, or resentment)
“Clicktivism”
‹#›
Understanding the ...
BUSI 520Marketing Management Group Project (MMGP) - Positioning.docxRAHUL126667
BUSI 520
Marketing Management Group Project (MMGP) - Positioning/Competition/Branding Instructions
Industry: Apple iPhone
Competition
· Describe which firm is the market leader in your industry. Explain what its strengths and weaknesses are.
Paper must contain:
· Scholarly sources
· APA format
· 2-4 Pages
· Paper must target consumers for Apple iPhone, NOTHING negative about iPhone or the company.
Organizational Theory Timeline
At the turn of the 20th century, the first theories of management, Classical Organizational Theory, came about. Since this time, many schools of thought have been presented throughout the years by practitioners/businessmen and academicians who have shown interest in the subject of management. As a result, numerous approaches or what are called schools of thought have developed. Theorists have added to the body of thought and even contradicted what was previously presented. You will see below that there are many thoughts about management and in the 21st century management has continued to change. Theories of the 21st century have not been presented here but you are able to explore these thoughts further within your class.
Below, the schools of thought are highlighted in blue. In bolded black, a brief overview of each school of thought is presented. Theorists who wrote and presented their ideas are identified under each of the schools of thought. Bulleted highlights for each theorist are provided. You will see that some theorist fall within more than one school of thought, an indication that management has evolved over the years.
School of Thought: Classical Organizational Theory
(PreWorld War II). First theory of management and is the first building block that all other management theories making it important to gain knowledge of this school of thought. The structuralist who focused on structure or design and production processes
Theorists:
· Adam Smith
· Laid the foundations of classical free market economic theory
· Best known for two classic works; the theory of moral sentiments and an inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations
· Believed economic prosperity would result from rational self-interest and competition
· Henry Towne
· One of the first engineers to recognize the importance of management in engineering
· Developed the Towne-Halsey plan
· Recording the quickest time to complete a job and fixing it as a standard
· Workers are compensated for working faster than the standard
· Concept similar to piece work
· Henry Fayol
· Fayolism
· First general theory of management
· Known as the Father of Management
· Concept of administration
· Book – Administration Industrielle et Generale
· Proposed five functions of management
· Laid down the 14 principles of management
· Frederick Taylor
· Applied engineering principles to factory work
· Leader of the intellectual movement
· Penned the book, “The Principles of Scientific Management”
· Through time and motion studies develope ...
Similar to 2016 12-21 rules for radical project managers (20)
An update to earlier presentations on Hebrew typography, focusing a bit more on recent Israeli typographers, and on how to best mix Hebrew and English--in two parts to deal with slideshare file size limits.
An update to earlier presentations on Hebrew typography, focusing a bit more on recent Israeli typographers, and on how to best mix Hebrew and English--in two parts to deal with slideshare file size limits.
Making the Transition to Agile: what we did, what worked, and what we learnedAri Davidow
In 2008 the Jewish Women's Archive (JWA) tried Agile Software development as a tool to select the necessary User Stories and develop a working, lightweight interface to the Fedora Commons digital archive. The project succeeded. That software was later taken by the developer and open sourced as the "hydra" project.
A short talk for a panel on Cloud Computing at the New England Archivists meeting at Brown University, Providence, RI, Apr 1-2, 2011. The panel was moderated by Anne Sauer (Tufts) and the other speaker was Bill Donovan (BC).
My part in a five-participant panel at AJS 2010. Judith Pinnolis, the moderator, spoke about library standards, search issues, findability; Mark Kligman and Michael
Mashing Up History and Teaching Our Kids: The Public Is InvitedAri Davidow
A presentation at the Museum Computer Network Conference, 2010, about new projects at the Jewish Women's Archive enabling mashups and data re-use. The most significant of these is our new Presentation Tool which uses the OAI-ORE standard and a Drupal CMS Flash player to enable the creation, modification, and playing of presentations using materials on our website, on other websites (including YouTube and Flickr) or uploaded by the user.
A presentation describing some of JWA's ground-breaking projects involving user-generated and user-moderated content, highlighting efforts to gather a more complete record of Jewish American history, to interpret it, and to share it.
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers new opportunities to radically reinvent the way we do business. This study explores how CEOs and top decision makers around the world are responding to the transformative potential of AI.
The Team Member and Guest Experience - Lead and Take Care of your restaurant team. They are the people closest to and delivering Hospitality to your paying Guests!
Make the call, and we can assist you.
408-784-7371
Foodservice Consulting + Design
Modern Database Management 12th Global Edition by Hoffer solution manual.docxssuserf63bd7
https://qidiantiku.com/solution-manual-for-modern-database-management-12th-global-edition-by-hoffer.shtml
name:Solution manual for Modern Database Management 12th Global Edition by Hoffer
Edition:12th Global Edition
author:by Hoffer
ISBN:ISBN 10: 0133544613 / ISBN 13: 9780133544619
type:solution manual
format:word/zip
All chapter include
Focusing on what leading database practitioners say are the most important aspects to database development, Modern Database Management presents sound pedagogy, and topics that are critical for the practical success of database professionals. The 12th Edition further facilitates learning with illustrations that clarify important concepts and new media resources that make some of the more challenging material more engaging. Also included are general updates and expanded material in the areas undergoing rapid change due to improved managerial practices, database design tools and methodologies, and database technology.
Oprah Winfrey: A Leader in Media, Philanthropy, and Empowerment | CIO Women M...CIOWomenMagazine
This person is none other than Oprah Winfrey, a highly influential figure whose impact extends beyond television. This article will delve into the remarkable life and lasting legacy of Oprah. Her story serves as a reminder of the importance of perseverance, compassion, and firm determination.
4. What is Agile Development?
• A set of software development processes that focus on
putting usable code in people’s hands as soon as possible
• A vision of software development as an ongoing process,
rather than as a one time project
5. Manifesto for Agile Software Development
We are uncovering better ways of developing software by
doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we
have come to value:
• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we
value the items on the left more.
9. A user story is a brief description of functionality as viewed by a
user or customer of the system (Mike Cohn)
As a <type of user>,
I want <capability>
So that <business value>
As an archivist
I want a pulldown menu with my metadata terms
So that we can keep terms consistent
17. An IAF Engagement
• Not a mass movement
• Instead, a coalition of community
organizations: primarily churches, synagogues,
mosques join together
• Before IAF sends in an organizer, there must
be a commitment to fund 2-3 years of
activism.
• Organizing takes time.
18. What does “self-organizing”
community organizing look like?
"Under Alinsky, organizing meant 'pick a target,
mobilize, and hit it.' In the modern IAF, issues
follow relationships. You don't pick targets and
mobilize first; you connect people in and around
their interests*."
(see also Jim Collins and Good to Great)
21. Some qualities of an Organizer
• Curiosity,
• Irreverence
• Imagination
• A sense of humor
• An organized personality (constantly seeing
patterns, learning)
• A well-integrated political schizoid (don't become
a true believer--must believe, but also must be
able to compromise)
22. Organizer as servant
After all thos audacious qualities describing organizers as macho
outlaws, Nicholas von Hoffman wrote in his memoir of Alinsky:
[Although some compared Rules for Radicals to Sun Tzu’s Art of
War,] “Saul would have identified himself with another ancient
Chinese philosopher, Lao-tzu, who is supposed to have said:
24. Types of organizations/relationships
• Business: entrepreneurial, buy/sell
• Government: bureaucracy, universal service
• Relational: person-to-person (churches … and
bowling or softball teams are often cited as
examples of relational organizations)
25. Business, Gov, Relational
Peter Drucker wrote an essay in The Public Interest several years ago
about the growing division of labor into two large categories--service
workers and knowledge workers.
I wrote him and argued that there was a third category: relational
workers. He responded, "You are absolutely right--but they (relational
workers) consider themselves knowledge workers."
Of course they do ... where only two choices are available. ... They
wanted to teach and to heal, protect and coach. They imagined
themselves relating to people, helping people, even saving people.
[Mike Gecan]
26. Relational orgs and time
The arc of recovery and revitalization is long--
longer than the eight years a president may
serve, far longer than the quarterly, monthly, or
weekly updates scrutinized by shareholders in
the market.
Only the steady and restless leaders of mature
citizens power organizations--and other third
sector groups--are ideally positioned for it.
27. Change
… can be advanced only when real differences
are bound up together in a web of relationships
anchored in the institutions that bring [people]
together…
28. How does it work?
• Research (groom: refine epics and user stories)
• Action—carry out the organizing activities that
will culminate in a concrete action (sprint,
followed by a review)
• Evaluation (retrospective)
29. Organizing is iterative
"Something else that comes with experience is
the knowledge that the resolution of a particular
problem will bring on another problem....
[W]hat we fight for now, will be soon forgotten,
and changed situations will change desires and
issues.... You begin to build power for a
particular program--then the program changes
when some power has been built.
–Saul Alinsky
30. What can Scrum teach the IAF?
• Transparency
– The IAF tends to be very poor at making
information available
– What are we working on?
– Where is the story in the workflow?
– What does the current sprint look like?
33. Alinsky’s legacy: organizations
• Affiliate organizations in more than sixty-five
cities across the United States and in Canada,
Australia, the United Kingdom and Germany.
• Offshoots include United Farmworkers.
• In the Boston area, check out the Greater
Boston Interfaith Organization, http://gbio.org
34. IAF Resources
• Industrial Areas Foundation, http://industrialareasfoundation.org
Books
• Alinsky, Saul, Rules for Radicals (1972)
• Gecan, Michael, Going Public (2002)
• Chambers, Ed, Roots for Radicals (2003)
• Horwitt, Sanford D., Let them call me rebel (1989)
• Von Hoffman, Nicholas, Radical: A portrait of Saul Alinsky (2010)
Web
• Seal, Mike (2008) Saul Alinsky, community organizing and rules for
radicals’, the encyclopaedia of informal education.
[www.infed.org/thinkers/alinsky.htm].
• Riley, Theresa (2012) Who is Saul Alinsky?
[http://billmoyers.com/content/who-is-saul-alinsky/]
• Moyers, Bill (2012) Newt Gingrich and the real Saul Alinsky
[billmoyers.com/segment/bill-moyers-essay-the-real-saul-alinsky/
35. Some Agile Resources
• AgileBoston—http://www.agileboston.org—
especially imaginative speakers and camraderie. Each
free monthly meeting is preceded by a half-hour class
related to Scrum, or Agile development.
• Agile New England–http://www.agilenewengland.org
–monthly meetings, likewise preceded by practice
sessions, classes in Scrum and Kanban. Speakers tend
to be more establishmentarian, likelier to be pushing
recent books. Attendees seem to average a bit older
• PMI–http://pmimassbay.org – has an Agile SIG, and a
new-ish certification focused on Agile methodologies:
ACP
36. More useful books
• Sutherland, Jeff. Scrum: The Art of doing twice
the work in half the time. (2014)
• Pollack, Stanley & Mary Fusoni. Moving
Beyond Icebreakers. (2005)—
useful to anyone building teams
or organizing communities.
Editor's Notes
Design Patterns are what we call repeating sequences or workflows. The term comes from building architect Christopher Alexander who published an influential book, “A Pattern Language,” in which he described common architectural problems and good solutions—how to set up a breakfast nook, or to ensure that a roof doesn’t leak. Over twenty years ago, software developers, striving to create re-usable code and working in the new field of object-oriented programming realized that the term could also be applied to their work.
Last month, in the wake of the election, I had the pleasure of doing a short three-day training in community organizing. It seemed like a good place to start thinking about how to best respond to the government we had just elected. To my surprise, much of what I learned was quite familiar. This talk is a thought experiment—are there really design patterns common to software development and community organizing? At the very least, what can we learn, one from the other
When I first gave this talk to a PMI roundtable, I belatedly released that half of my audience was not very familiar with Agile, nor with Scrum, the Agile Methodology that is currently most popular. So, I am inserting some slides in the version I share on SlideShare, and will refine further next time I give this talk.
The movement started when a group of software developers met one weekend and talked over what might make for a better software development process. Several specific “Agile” methodologies—Extreme Programming (XP), Crystal, Scrum, Kanban, others—ideas to turn the manifesto into practice, eventually evolved from that group. You can find out more at http://agilemanifesto.org . I should add that at a talk for AgileBoston a couple of years ago Alexander Cockburn, one of the signatories, suggested that we not treat the manifesto (and its accompanying “12 principles” as holy writ: “On a different weekend, we might have weighted some things differently, or ended up with a slightly different statement or principles.”
Among the the most basic ideas of Agile is to get a “minimum viable product” into people’s hands quickly so that they can provide feedback. This is also reflected in a parallel influence on current software (and product) development called “Lean”.
You start by making short notes about what you want to achieve. Sticky notes, or 3x5 cards are often used.
Gradually, stories “decompose” into smaller pieces until you have lots of pieces. In Scrum, this can take a week of meetings. The bigger stories are called “epics” or “features”. The smallest will be “user stories” (under which we will ultimately note “tasks”).
Eventually, you will decide on a set of User Stories that can be carried out in one cycle. In Scrum, these cycles are called “Sprints”. Figure out what goes in a sprint takes place in a Planning Meeting wherein the Scrum Master facilitates a bargaining session in which the Product Owner (the person responsible for what is actually delivered) will present a prioritized series of stories. The team then figures out what can be done in the next cycle. At the end of the sprint, there will be an “Action.” In Scrum parlance, this is called a “Review.” Actual working code is presented for review and acceptance by the Product Owner and Stakeholders.
An important concept in Agile software development is the idea of “transparency”—making sure that you have “information radiators”—displays that show exactly what is being worked on by whom and what is done. This lets everyone see what is happening, what is coming up, and what is done. Although the origins of the practice lie in using wall space and physical notes, there are many “virtual” variants enabling people to participate, or to view status, without needing to be physically in one location.
The User Stories that don’t make it into the current sprint remain in an area called the “backlog” to be refined further as you prepare for the next+1 sprint—what you’ll be doing next. There will be some “grooming” done to refine the stories, and eventually, they will be presented at a Planning Meeting for the next Sprint.
Born in 1909, Saul Alinsky originally studied criminology at the University of Chicago. His first job out of college was evaluating potential parolees at the Illinois State Penitentiary in Joliet. In 1936, he returned to Chicago as a graduate student. As a student of sociologist Clifford Shaw, he was very much influenced by the theory that criminal behavior owed much to the environment—poor neighborhoods with poor schools and poor services created criminals. Shaw set up the “Chicago Areas Project” in 1934 and Alinsky went to work exploring the idea that to stop delinquency one must actively engage local residents in community self-development. He came to feel that sociologists were on the wrong path—university-educated outsiders parachuted into a neighborhood to save it from itself. Instead, he formulated the IAF golden rule: “Never do for others what they can do for themselves”—the organizers is a facilitator, someone who removes blockages and helps communities coalesce as one organization. In 1939 he founded the IAF—the Industrial Areas Foundation and began his first project in the “back of the yards” neighborhood immortalized by Upton Sinclair’s book, The Jungle.
Alinsky was much influenced by John Lewis, former head of United Mineworkers who established the Congress of Industrial Workers (CIO). The question was, “how do you organize when the power is on the other side?” “Without power, he explained, nothing can be done, no rock moved, no law written, no wrong righted.” Power, Alinsky taught, comes in two forms only: money and people. If you have the money, you don’t need people. Without money, the way to power is to organize people. [von Hoffman, p. xii]
Alinsky wrote two books. Reveille for Radicals was labeled “the filthiest book since Tom Paine” (which Alinsky took as a compliment). Each of them a best-seller. With Rules for Radicals, written largely as a distillation of what he had learned in over 30 years of organizing (and coming out shortly before he died) got him labeled “the American Machiavelli.” That book was also a response to the anti-war and civil rights movements which, as we’ll see, he felt were going to achieve far too little.
A prime issue in organizing (whether in communities or organizations, themselves, is power.In Western culture, power has come to be interpreted and practiced as one-way influence. One person's power is his or her ability to get someone else to do as that person chooses. Here, power means "power over.” It is seen as a “zero sum” item—if you have it, I don’t.
Because they have no verb, "to power," English speakers have a hard time understanding that power is more like a verb than a noun. Spanish speakers, have the verb poder, meaning "to be able.”
Relational power, however, is additive and multiplicative.... As you become more powerful, so do those in relationship with you. This is power understood as relational, as power with, not over.
Alinsky felt that the way to organize people was to get to know them, and then let them figure out what their priorities should be. It takes time to unlearn powerlessness, to get the initial small victories, and to come together strongly enough to exercise power. In our terms, you need real, top-down commitment, not just “management fad of the month” commitment.
Antipatterns are design patterns known to fail.
Activists' expectations for change are far too short-term: “Their time frame is immediate. 'What do we want?' 'Freedom.' 'When do we want it?' 'Now!' 'No justice, no peace,'” he explains dismissively. “Movement activists appeal to youth, frustrated idealists, and cynical ideologues, ignoring the 80 percent of moderates who comprise the world as it is…. Organizing is generational, not here today, gone tomorrow.”
An “antipattern is a design pattern that is sure to fail—something we know that doesn’t work.
Alinsky wasn’t just allergic to “isms” and their dogmas. He took extreme issue with what he called “charismatic movements.” In his time, most promient was the Civil Rights movement under Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At one point, Dr. King moved to Chicago to try to organize the North. It was a major failure. Charismatic movements have no roots, no local presence. The Civil Rights movement was important, but much of the work is still in progress.
Alinsky presented a romantic, macho image of organizers. Here are some qualities Alinsky lists in Rules for Radicals. He doesn’t mention, however, the need to listen to people, the need to be an active listener, and the need to initiate processes that work for the organizations and the people involved. Project Managers and Scrum Masters would probably see these latter as more important.
Ed Chambers: This is the most radical thing we teach. Relational meetings are one-to-one guided conversations: What moves a person to action, how did she or he get there?
Alinsky claimed that the stories of Moses at the burning bush, Paul on the road to Damascus, and Muhammad in the cave on Mt. Hira are classic accounts of relational meetings.... When people asked the Buddha in his later years what sort of being he was, he replied, 'I am awake.' A good relational meeting wakes somebody up.”
Movements focus on finding people who agree. You want people who think. You want to build following people's passion.
Relational meetings are probably the major IAF idea that Scrum lacks. When we talk about Agile culture and the frustration of getting there, Relational meetings may offer one missing link. But, we’ll talk about this some more, soon.
Where do these relational meetings fit? What does a relational organization look like?
I’m going to argue that project managers and scrum masters are relational workers.
The liturgy of public life ... is "research, action, evaluation." Action is the middle term in a three-part formula, sandwiched between moments of hard reflection. Alinsky didn’t do demonstrations. He did “Actions”.
In GBIO, for instance, we have ongoing working groups that research issues, talk with stakeholders, and gradually potential, specific user stories are refined—legislative goals, perhaps—and then we set up an action to make specific goals happen. Immediately after that action, leaders will gather for a retrospective. It is critical that Actions are always followed by Evaluation.
Iteration is a key element of community organizing. And, in Agile development, even though the shape and motivations often seem dissimilar.
Alinsky wrestled a lot with diversity. He managed to get Catholic, Protestant, and Jew to work together, but was less successful getting colors to mix. It remains an issue for political organizers, and not surprisingly, remains an issue in our scrum teams. We know that having a team featuring diverse skills, background, gender, culture, etc., makes a significant positive difference. But we’re not there. As a Scrum master, I would note that the gain to the team in having someone “not like the others” on board is great enough, that I would take a lesser coder if it brought me someone who approaches problems from a different background.
Indeed, Tea Party activists, when not railing against that “communist” Alinsky, have adopted Rules for Radicals as their own, and even distribute a shortened version of it. Hilary Clinton wrote her college thesis on Alinsky. Barack Obama got his start in an Alinsky-style organization in Chicago’s South Side.