Presentation for the Professional Women's Association (PWA) Conference at UCSB.
As a manager, our tendency is to believe we must “have it all figured out” in order to provide clear direction to our teams. But, what happens if we engage our staff in ideation and planning for our projects? This approach creates a broader range of possibilities, lifts the sole burden of decision making from the manager, and inspires ownership and sense of purpose to provide more job satisfaction among our staff. This hands on workshop will demonstrate the power of leveraging the unique talents of your team and some practical methods for bringing them together to create more robust, innovative, and diverse solutions.
We put on a design thinking workshop at Pepper Hamilton with pricing people and partners from various firms in Boston. These are the slides we used to conduct the workshop.
Deep Impact or Armageddon? Moving from Idea to DesignCarolyn Chandler
When two businesses have the same idea at the same time, what determines the "winner"? Often the greatness of the idea alone is not enough to predict success, and being first to market can be overrated. If you can connect your idea with the lives of your customers and craft an experience that's useful and enjoyable, you can create something that's truly unique.
In this session Carolyn Chandler, Experience Design author, consultant and instructor, will discuss moving from idea to design. You'll learn about design principles that can help you both realize your vision and impact the lives of your customers.
Design thinking is a problem solving process geared for ambiguous situations. There are four principles of design thinking: empathize, visualize, co-create and iterate. This presentation gives tips and techniques for empathizing includes how to interview and how to analyze research data.
Supplementary materials for panel discussion presented to graduate students at UCSB's Bren School of Environmental Science & Management. Part of workshop series developed by Bren's Communications Center.
We put on a design thinking workshop at Pepper Hamilton with pricing people and partners from various firms in Boston. These are the slides we used to conduct the workshop.
Deep Impact or Armageddon? Moving from Idea to DesignCarolyn Chandler
When two businesses have the same idea at the same time, what determines the "winner"? Often the greatness of the idea alone is not enough to predict success, and being first to market can be overrated. If you can connect your idea with the lives of your customers and craft an experience that's useful and enjoyable, you can create something that's truly unique.
In this session Carolyn Chandler, Experience Design author, consultant and instructor, will discuss moving from idea to design. You'll learn about design principles that can help you both realize your vision and impact the lives of your customers.
Design thinking is a problem solving process geared for ambiguous situations. There are four principles of design thinking: empathize, visualize, co-create and iterate. This presentation gives tips and techniques for empathizing includes how to interview and how to analyze research data.
Supplementary materials for panel discussion presented to graduate students at UCSB's Bren School of Environmental Science & Management. Part of workshop series developed by Bren's Communications Center.
Slides from February 2018 meetup hosted by Design Thinking Seattle. The topic for the evening was "Empathy: Driving more human connections at home and at work"
As designers, we use empathy to solve critical leadership problems in our teams, and as servant leaders, our purpose is to serve others in a meaningful and productive manner.
GHCI '15 Idea to Iteration: Method to the Madness - Design Thinking WorkshopMydhili Bayyapunedi
Slides from the Design Thinking workshop: Idea to Iteration run at Grace Hopper Conference in Bangalore, India.
The purpose of this session is to help entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs navigate the full-design cycle - from Ideation to Prototyping to Iteration with ease. This is a variation of Stanford d-school’s Design Thinking methodology.
If you would like to use these slides in your presentation, please get in touch with us at @myd @mphaxise
The presentation from my talk in Agiles Colombia 2016.
Design Thinking as a powerful tool for change through designing memorable experiences focused on generating sustainable behaviors, where the starting point is to immerse yourself in a state of genuine empathy.
Designing a human centred mindset to lead at the edgeZaana Jaclyn
Workshop delivered by Huddle Academy for ALIA Online 2015, February 2, Sydney, Australia.
Workshop outline: Customer expectations are continually increasing, demanding more personalised and customised services and experiences. As a result, understanding your customers and designing services and experiences for them is critical in drawing them to engage with your organisation. Simultaneously it is essential to understand the people in your organisation and enable them to be adaptive to changing needs and to provide them with enjoyable and meaningful work experiences. This means being in service to your customers as well as the people who work in your organisation.
This one day workshop is for those who are seeking to be more effective leaders through developing a human centred mindset. It will focus on building your understanding of the value and principles of being human centred. These principles include putting people first through being empathic, curious, collaborative, and courageous. You will learn methods for how you can better understand your customers and your organisation for the benefit of designing and delivering amazing services and experiences. We will do this through a range of practical hands on activities where you will have the opportunity to experience a set of tools you can apply within your workplace.
So what is strategic design? It is design that considers a range activities to foster innovation and competitiveness. Looking at the phases of design, client initiation, research, concept development, design development and evaluation – how do we optimize these phases so that we create the most value for our clients
Presentation from my General Assembly talk at Campus London in June. My thoughts on how to Improve team creative culture & boost individual creativity.
Global Dreams Trading FZE ,leading Distributors and Importers of Premium quality Luxurious linens for home and hotels,Global Dreams is perpetually backed by key manufacturer's for Global Dreams is perpetually backed by key manufacturer's for Global Dreams is perpetually backed by key manufacturer's for Global Dreams is perpetually backed by key manufacturer's for Bed sheets, Pillow covers, Duvet covers, Quality Mattress Protector, Feather soft Duvets, Super soft fluffy Pillows, Super Soft Pure “ ZERO TWIST ” Bath Towels, Bath Towels, Hand Towels, Face Towels, Bath Mats, Bath room Slipper, Bath Robe, Pool Towels and a wide range of best quality linen clothing. I would like to meet you personally to detail you about the exposure of my company and discuss about the business opportunities. Kindly send your requirements and procedures to get ourselves registered with your esteemed organization. For more details log on to www.globaldreams.biz. Contact person Mr. Sureshpal. Kolassery
Slides from February 2018 meetup hosted by Design Thinking Seattle. The topic for the evening was "Empathy: Driving more human connections at home and at work"
As designers, we use empathy to solve critical leadership problems in our teams, and as servant leaders, our purpose is to serve others in a meaningful and productive manner.
GHCI '15 Idea to Iteration: Method to the Madness - Design Thinking WorkshopMydhili Bayyapunedi
Slides from the Design Thinking workshop: Idea to Iteration run at Grace Hopper Conference in Bangalore, India.
The purpose of this session is to help entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs navigate the full-design cycle - from Ideation to Prototyping to Iteration with ease. This is a variation of Stanford d-school’s Design Thinking methodology.
If you would like to use these slides in your presentation, please get in touch with us at @myd @mphaxise
The presentation from my talk in Agiles Colombia 2016.
Design Thinking as a powerful tool for change through designing memorable experiences focused on generating sustainable behaviors, where the starting point is to immerse yourself in a state of genuine empathy.
Designing a human centred mindset to lead at the edgeZaana Jaclyn
Workshop delivered by Huddle Academy for ALIA Online 2015, February 2, Sydney, Australia.
Workshop outline: Customer expectations are continually increasing, demanding more personalised and customised services and experiences. As a result, understanding your customers and designing services and experiences for them is critical in drawing them to engage with your organisation. Simultaneously it is essential to understand the people in your organisation and enable them to be adaptive to changing needs and to provide them with enjoyable and meaningful work experiences. This means being in service to your customers as well as the people who work in your organisation.
This one day workshop is for those who are seeking to be more effective leaders through developing a human centred mindset. It will focus on building your understanding of the value and principles of being human centred. These principles include putting people first through being empathic, curious, collaborative, and courageous. You will learn methods for how you can better understand your customers and your organisation for the benefit of designing and delivering amazing services and experiences. We will do this through a range of practical hands on activities where you will have the opportunity to experience a set of tools you can apply within your workplace.
So what is strategic design? It is design that considers a range activities to foster innovation and competitiveness. Looking at the phases of design, client initiation, research, concept development, design development and evaluation – how do we optimize these phases so that we create the most value for our clients
Presentation from my General Assembly talk at Campus London in June. My thoughts on how to Improve team creative culture & boost individual creativity.
Global Dreams Trading FZE ,leading Distributors and Importers of Premium quality Luxurious linens for home and hotels,Global Dreams is perpetually backed by key manufacturer's for Global Dreams is perpetually backed by key manufacturer's for Global Dreams is perpetually backed by key manufacturer's for Global Dreams is perpetually backed by key manufacturer's for Bed sheets, Pillow covers, Duvet covers, Quality Mattress Protector, Feather soft Duvets, Super soft fluffy Pillows, Super Soft Pure “ ZERO TWIST ” Bath Towels, Bath Towels, Hand Towels, Face Towels, Bath Mats, Bath room Slipper, Bath Robe, Pool Towels and a wide range of best quality linen clothing. I would like to meet you personally to detail you about the exposure of my company and discuss about the business opportunities. Kindly send your requirements and procedures to get ourselves registered with your esteemed organization. For more details log on to www.globaldreams.biz. Contact person Mr. Sureshpal. Kolassery
In an agile environment, establishing usability and user experience as the responsibility of the UX team is destined for conflict and frustration. Learn how transferring this ownership onto the cross-functional team ultimately responsible for delivering the experience builds trust and empowerment and ultimately provides an environment that fosters collaboration, growth and innovation. This presentation will discuss the evolution of incorporating UX into agile at AppFolio, the roles and makeup of our development teams as they exist today, and some examples of how those teams collaborate around design solutions when tackling big feature enhancements on our mature product.
Lifecycle Modeling Language Tutorial by Dr. Dam and Dr. Vaneman Elizabeth Steiner
Dr. Steve Dam and Dr. Vaneman present "A New Open Standard: Lifecycle Modeling Language (LML) a Language for Simple, Rapid Development, Operations and Support" at the Systems Engineering D.C. Conference (SEDC), April 2014.
Cavinkare - A CHALLENGE OF SUSTAINING GROWTH AND EXPANDING BUSINESSKabita Dhimal
CavinKare’s goal is to remain the preferred choice for customers at home and in every market, besides operating with conviction and leading certain chosen sectors for innovation.
LML to SysML and Back - Systems Engineering LanguagesElizabeth Steiner
Steven Dam, Ph.D., ESEP shares his knowledge of the Lifecycle Modeling Language and the Systems Modeling Language. He discusses SysML's and LML's vast capabilities and how they work together in Innoslate®. The live presentation also demonstrates both LML and SysML diagrams as they have been developed for Innoslate®.
Design Thinking to Co-Design Solutions: Presented at ACMP 2018Enterprise Knowledge
This presentation from EK's Rebecca Wyatt and Claire Brawdy details how the Design Thinking process can be applied to facilitate sessions and engage end users in the design process. Originally presented at the ACMP Change Management 2018 Conference in Las Vegas.
For a Knowledge Management Round Table, Melbourne. An exploration workshop into using design thinking to support workplace change coupled with digital technologies.
This presentation focuses on strategies and tips for effective meetings and facilitation. Designed for the New Jersey Campus Compact and Bonner Foundation VISTA Leaders, it especially covers how young professionals in nonprofit settings might plan and lead meetings that contribute to the mission, effectiveness, and impact of their organizations.
تتحدث هذه المحاضرة عن العصف الذهني
Brainstorming
وهي أداة يتم استخدامها بغرض تجميع أكبر قدر ممكن من الأفكار لحل مشكلة أو تطوير منتج أو خدمة.
قمت في هذه المحاضرة بتعريف العصف الذهني او ال
Brainstorming
وشرحت أسباب اللجوء لهذه الأسلوب ووضحت أنواعه الموجودة.
قمت بعد ذلك بتوضيح خطوات العصف الذهني او ال
Brainstorming
متطرقا لأنواع متخصصة من العصف الذهني او ال
Brainstorming
يتم استخدامها في أحوال خاصة.
انتقلت بعدها لشرح استخدام تحليل باريتو عمليا في عمليات إدارة المشاريع وهي 6 عمليات يمكن فيها الاستفادة من تحليل باريتو فيها وعمليات تحليل الأعمال ( 15 عملية ) موزعة على دليل تحليل الأعمال من ال
PMI
( عمليتان) ودليل تحليل الأعمال من ال
IIBA
( 13 عملية ) وتم توضيح كيفية تطبيق ذلك في في التحليل الرباعي
SWOT
وفي إعداد الخطط الاستراتيجية.
Presentation of 1-day training in the Management Masters School. Introduction to the Meeting Facilitation: Basic techniques, Roles and Skills of Facilitator, Practical Sessions
Instructor: Vadim Nareyko
How to Run an Effective Brainstorm SessionHileman Group
New ideas and solutions are the bread and butter for company growth and effectiveness. After all, who doesn’t want to come up with the next big thing?
But getting the brainstorm process started can often be challenging and lead to road blocks and lower productivity when the right questions are not asked. Although you may have been in brainstorms before, you may be missing key elements that are making them less effective. Without the right process, strong ideas will remain out of reach.
In this presentation, our panel of experts will walk you through the key steps for a successful brainstorming session, the overall ideation process and how to challenge assumptions.
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
Org Design is a core skill to be mastered by management for any successful org change.
Org Topologies™ in its essence is a two-dimensional space with 16 distinctive boxes - atomic organizational archetypes. That space helps you to plot your current operating model by positioning individuals, departments, and teams on the map. This will give a profound understanding of the performance of your value-creating organizational ecosystem.
Specific ServPoints should be tailored for restaurants in all food service segments. Your ServPoints should be the centerpiece of brand delivery training (guest service) and align with your brand position and marketing initiatives, especially in high-labor-cost conditions.
408-784-7371
Foodservice Consulting + Design
Enriching engagement with ethical review processesstrikingabalance
New ethics review processes at the University of Bath. Presented at the 8th World Conference on Research Integrity by Filipa Vance, Head of Research Governance and Compliance at the University of Bath. June 2024, Athens
Comparing Stability and Sustainability in Agile SystemsRob Healy
Copy of the presentation given at XP2024 based on a research paper.
In this paper we explain wat overwork is and the physical and mental health risks associated with it.
We then explore how overwork relates to system stability and inventory.
Finally there is a call to action for Team Leads / Scrum Masters / Managers to measure and monitor excess work for individual teams.
Integrity in leadership builds trust by ensuring consistency between words an...Ram V Chary
Integrity in leadership builds trust by ensuring consistency between words and actions, making leaders reliable and credible. It also ensures ethical decision-making, which fosters a positive organizational culture and promotes long-term success. #RamVChary
Public Speaking Tips to Help You Be A Strong Leader.pdfPinta Partners
In the realm of effective leadership, a multitude of skills come into play, but one stands out as both crucial and challenging: public speaking.
Public speaking transcends mere eloquence; it serves as the medium through which leaders articulate their vision, inspire action, and foster engagement. For leaders, refining public speaking skills is essential, elevating their ability to influence, persuade, and lead with resolute conviction. Here are some key tips to consider: https://joellandau.com/the-public-speaking-tips-to-help-you-be-a-stronger-leader/
Employment PracticesRegulation and Multinational CorporationsRoopaTemkar
Employment PracticesRegulation and Multinational Corporations
Strategic decision making within MNCs constrained or determined by the implementation of laws and codes of practice and by pressure from political actors. Managers in MNCs have to make choices that are shaped by gvmt. intervention and the local economy.
Senior Project and Engineering Leader Jim Smith.pdfJim Smith
I am a Project and Engineering Leader with extensive experience as a Business Operations Leader, Technical Project Manager, Engineering Manager and Operations Experience for Domestic and International companies such as Electrolux, Carrier, and Deutz. I have developed new products using Stage Gate development/MS Project/JIRA, for the pro-duction of Medical Equipment, Large Commercial Refrigeration Systems, Appliances, HVAC, and Diesel engines.
My experience includes:
Managed customized engineered refrigeration system projects with high voltage power panels from quote to ship, coordinating actions between electrical engineering, mechanical design and application engineering, purchasing, production, test, quality assurance and field installation. Managed projects $25k to $1M per project; 4-8 per month. (Hussmann refrigeration)
Successfully developed the $15-20M yearly corporate capital strategy for manufacturing, with the Executive Team and key stakeholders. Created project scope and specifications, business case, ROI, managed project plans with key personnel for nine consumer product manufacturing and distribution sites; to support the company’s strategic sales plan.
Over 15 years of experience managing and developing cost improvement projects with key Stakeholders, site Manufacturing Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Maintenance, and facility support personnel to optimize pro-duction operations, safety, EHS, and new product development. (BioLab, Deutz, Caire)
Experience working as a Technical Manager developing new products with chemical engineers and packaging engineers to enhance and reduce the cost of retail products. I have led the activities of multiple engineering groups with diverse backgrounds.
Great experience managing the product development of products which utilize complex electrical controls, high voltage power panels, product testing, and commissioning.
Created project scope, business case, ROI for multiple capital projects to support electrotechnical assembly and CPG goods. Identified project cost, risk, success criteria, and performed equipment qualifications. (Carrier, Electrolux, Biolab, Price, Hussmann)
Created detailed projects plans using MS Project, Gant charts in excel, and updated new product development in Jira for stakeholders and project team members including critical path.
Great knowledge of ISO9001, NFPA, OSHA regulations.
User level knowledge of MRP/SAP, MS Project, Powerpoint, Visio, Mastercontrol, JIRA, Power BI and Tableau.
I appreciate your consideration, and look forward to discussing this role with you, and how I can lead your company’s growth and profitability. I can be contacted via LinkedIn via phone or E Mail.
Jim Smith
678-993-7195
jimsmith30024@gmail.com
Senior Project and Engineering Leader Jim Smith.pdf
Engage and Inspire Through Collaborative Problem Solving
1. ENGAGE AND INSPIRE THROUGH
COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING
PWA Conference | May 10, 2016
Kate MacCorkle
@KateMacCorkle
Jaimi “J.J.” Kercher
@jjkercher
3. ABOUT US
KATE
Senior UX Researcher
USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN
LOOK
aesthetics
organization
FEEL
sentiment
flow
USABILITY
functionality
intuitiveness
J.J.
Director, User Experience
6. PROBLEM SOLVING
It’s fiscal year close, and the staff in your department are feeling burnt out and tired. Brainstorm
ways that you could re-energize, appreciate, and celebrate staff for a job well done.
• Brainstorm ideas silently [2 minutes]
• Find a partner and share your ideas [3 minutes]
After discussing with your partner and hearing some ideas from others, would you still stick the
original plan you came up with on your own?
8. MAKE IT FLAT
Don’t let your org chart be a decision roadmap
Everyone in the room has unique talents,
operate as equals
Decisions made in isolation lack a variety in
thinking
9. CELEBRATE DIVERSITY...AND CONFLICT
Promote an environment of trust and respect,
regardless of role or experience
Healthy conflict ensures a problem will be
approached at different angles
10. EMPOWER OTHERS, AUTONOMY WITH DIRECTION
Reject the traditional, command and control model
Articulate the problem, the outcome, and any constraints
Letting individuals figure out the “how” saves you time and
builds confidence
11. BE A SERVANT LEADER
Share ownership & responsibility
Put others first
Focus on enabling your staff to do what they do best
Results in an employee who feels important and cared for
13. What are the constraints?
What is flexible?
How will we know if we are successful
(outcomes)
How will we measure success?
PHASE 1: UNDERSTAND
What is the problem?
Who are we solving it for?
What are their needs and expectations?
What’s driving the effort?
14. TOOLS FOR UNDERSTANDING
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
define the initiative…why are we here?
WHATARE THE CONSTRAINTS?
What MUST we do or not do?
WHAT IS FLEXIBLE?
where can we be creative?
WHAT IS DRIVING THE EFFORT?
why is this initiative important?
WHO ARE WE SOLVING FOR?
target audience…who will benefit?
CONSIDERATIONS, NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS
WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?
how will we know we solved the problem well?
HOW WILLWE MEASURE SUCCESS?
VALUE PROPOSITION
what is our proposed solution, and why do we think it will work?
THE PROJECT ONE-PAGER
15. PHASE 2: DIVERGE
Explore solutions on your own
Accommodate a variety of thinking and problem-solving styles
• Extroverts who talk to think
• Introverts who think to talk
Gives everyone a voice
16. TOOLS FOR DIVERGENT THINKING
MIND MAPPING CARD STORMING STORYBOARDINGPINTEREST
17. PHASE 3: CONVERGE
Share individual ideas
Group brainstorming
Build off of one another’s ideas
Narrow down the one or few best solutions
Build consensus as a team
22. STAFF APPRECIATION
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
define the initiative…why are we here?
WHATARE THE CONSTRAINTS?
What MUST we do or not do?
WHAT IS FLEXIBLE?
where can we be creative?
WHAT IS DRIVING THE EFFORT?
why is this initiative important?
WHO ARE WE SOLVING FOR?
target audience…who will benefit?
CONSIDERATIONS, NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS
WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?
how will we know we solved the problem well?
HOW WILLWE MEASURE SUCCESS?
VALUE PROPOSITION
what is our proposed solution, and why do we think it will work?
THE PROJECT ONE-PAGER
It’s fiscal year close, and the staff in
your department are feeling burnt
out and tired.
Wait until fiscal close
Budget = $30 per staff member
Event or activity
Day/Time of Day
Vendors
Give staff the opportunity to relax
and feel appreciated for their hard
work this year.
Employees in your department
Most staff is over 35 years of age
Want to feel good about their work
They like beer & wine
Want to get their mind off of work
Gluten free and vegan
Staff members are excited and re-
energized
% of staff who participate
Staff satisfaction survey
23. STAFF APPRECIATION - CONVERGE
Organize into groups of 4 to collaborate with.
• Affinitize Ideas [5 minutes]
• Dot Vote on themes [2 minutes]
• Write draft proposal [15 minutes]
24. STAFF APPRECIATION - PROPOSAL
As a group, write your solution proposal.
• How will you solve the problem?
• What are the details/logistics of your solution?
• How did the project one-pager affect or inform the details?
• What are the risks, unknowns, or assumptions in your proposal?
26. OUR FIRST DRAFT
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
define the initiative…why are we here?
WHATARE THE CONSTRAINTS?
What MUST we do or not do?
WHAT IS FLEXIBLE?
where can we be creative?
WHAT IS DRIVING THE EFFORT?
why is this initiative important?
WHO ARE WE SOLVING FOR?
target audience…who will benefit?
CONSIDERATIONS, NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS
WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?
how will we know we solved the problem well?
HOW WILLWE MEASURE SUCCESS?
VALUE PROPOSITION
what is our proposed solution, and why do we think it will work?
THE PROJECT ONE-PAGER
Plan an activity for your department
to celebrate fiscal year close.
• Location?
• Food?
• Activities?
In July
Budget = $30/pp (staff only)
Serve food
Day/Time of Day
Entertainment (music, games, etc.)
Decor
Vendors
Indoor/Outdoor
Give staff the opportunity to relax
and feel appreciated for their hard
work this year.
Employees in your department
Most staff is over 35 years of age
Moderate activity level
Beer & wine
Get their mind off of work
Gluten free and vegan
People come to and enjoy the event
% of staff attending
Post-event satisfaction survey
[J.J.]
We work for AppFolio, a local company that provides portfolio of software solutions that help small and mid-sized businesses improve their workflow so they save time and make more money.
Flagship product is Property Manager (this is the product we work on), and we also have MyCase for legal practice management.
Together, we are part of the user experience team. Our job requires heavy collaboration between business stakeholders, software engineers, and customers to ensure our software is easy and intuitive to use.
[J.J.]
Our culture at AppFolio is such that the success of our company is driven by the careful coordination and collaboration between a variety of roles and expertise at the company. You can see here that people are at the heart of even our company values.
Today we’d like to share some tips and techniques from AppFolio’s culture that we believe can apply to any environment to help make projects more successful and keep staff engaged and interested.
Partner count clap stomp
[Kate]
[J.J.]
Make it Flat, Don’t Let Your Org Chart be a Decision Roadmap
Org charts are a necessary evil to provide transparency and structure to the operational design of a business. Just because a manager has decision making power on paper doesn’t mean she has to work in isolation to do it. While it’s important for the business to provide direction on division of labor, job responsibilities, and decision-making, good managers know that those hard lines are only on paper.
[Kate]
Celebrate Diversity and Conflict
Having a variety of roles, experience levels and personal history is a huge plus in problem solving, because you are able to approach the problem at different angles. This also means there will be differing opinions, so often times collaboration is skipped in favor or preventing conflict. But good managers know that this inherent conflict is good and can be productive in a safe and respectful environment. This healthy tension will result in a solution that is considerate of the individual needs and biases each person represents.
This is key at Appfolio, where cross-functional groups of Product Managers, Engineers, and Designers have to work together to ensure our software is serving our business, our customer, and the health and security of our technology infrastructure.
[J.J.]
Empower Others, Autonomy With Direction
Everyone's a hero in their own way, so let them show that to you. Resist the typical, hierarchical command and control model of telling staff what to do and how to do it. Instead, be mindful to articulate the problem that needs solving and set clear outcomes, and give them the freedom to find their own path.
Here’s an example: Compare “Please go to Albertson’s and pick up 2 bags of tortilla chips, 2 jars of salsa and a vegetable tray for our staff event tomorrow night” with this: “We have our staff event tomorrow night and 8 people have RSVP’d. Can you take care of the hors de vours, please? Our budget is $50.” In the latter, the individual is empowered to complete this task however she would like as long as it meets the stated requirements. So, maybe she’ll go to Albertsons...but maybe there’s a new online catering platform that will deliver and provide better food options. Maybe one of her talents is that she loves to cook and makes the hors de vours herself.
Each of us is unique in how we think, learn, communicate and process problem spaces, so what works for one will not work for all. Empowered individuals feel trusted and have a sense of ownership and pride in their work, and are ultimately happier for it.
[Kate]
Be a Servant Leader
A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top of the pyramid,” servant leadership is different. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.
Our VP of engineering is commonly found moving desks around, vacuuming or putting desks together. He will drop what he is doing at any moment to accept an offer to meet with anyone in the organization - in any department, any role, and any length of tenure. This has a domino effect that impacts our engineers (who take ownership over decisions), our customers (who get products that are genuinely crafted with care), and overall corporate culture (who feel empowered and are proud of the products we build). AppFolio made the top 50 places to work in the US, it is all related!
[J.J.]
The first step in collaboration is defining the goal or problem to be solved. This is the autonomy with direction piece.
[J.J.]
Typically, the manager may present the problem, constraints, and drivers to the team but many of these questions can also be answered collaboratively as a team.
For example, I’m always amazed when teams work together to define constraints. Things like budget and time are always considered, even when there isn’t a manager present to remind the group to think about these things. It really provides a dialogue between the group and the business, and making the definition of these buckets the responsibility of the team builds ownership and alignment.
[J.J.]
Extroverted thinkers are happy to get new information in a group setting, and will start making sense of it by talking through it. But introverted thinkers make their best contributions when they’ve had time to process the information and plan how they will present or share their ideas.
Introverts are quiet, and often extroverts misinterpret their silence as disagreement, disengagement, or lack of expertise. Because of this, introverts are easily left out of conversations and, over time, become demoralized because of their inability to contribute.
[J.J.]
So what kinds of tools can you use for brainstorming on your own?
[Kate]
The definition of converge is “(things) gradually change so as to become similar or develop something in common. This is the part of collaboration where you bring all the individual ideas to the group and see what overlaps. The best part about this phase is hearing new ideas you hadn’t thought of, and having the opportunity to build more ideas off of each other.
This phase can be messy with information at first, but the goal is to whittle away at all of the ideas and narrow down to a solution that the whole group can support.
[Kate]
There is a long list of tools, activities, and techniques to use at the converge stage and here are just a few. Most of the same tools apply from divergent thinking, plus several others that are specific to using in a group.
[Kate]
This is where collaboration extends outside of the team and includes the “customer” - or whoever the solution will impact the most. For us, in software development, this phase is called the “prototype” phase. That’s when we create something (a proposal) that can demonstrate to end users what we are thinking so we can collect feedback.
When you are solving a problem for others, though you might be part of the target audience be careful not to assume you represent the needs and desires of everyone. Talk to others, share your proposal, collect input, and make the necessary revisions based on that feedback.
There are always revisions. This can be a very enlightening stage!
[Kate]
To collect feedback, conversations are usually the best input. But you can also use things like surveys to collect a general sentiment about an idea or a set of ideas - or even to quickly collect feedback on multiple ideas to see which one resonates. In some situations, it is helpful to physically “act out” your proposal…think of this as a sort of dress rehearsal.
In the software world, we do “usability testing”, which is essentially a mock run of a solution that we haven’t built yet. We put a fake prototype in front of users and ask them to navigate through it, which helps us to uncover any potential challenges that users couldn’t otherwise describe without actually doing a dry run.
[J.J.]
We already practiced divergent thinking in the icebreaker activity. Now you and your partner should group up with someone else and their partner to form a group of four.
We mentioned that much of this canvas is usually completed by the team, but in the interest of time we are going to assume we’ve already done this part and filled in the blanks.
[Kate]
[Kate]
Make sure your proposal answers each of these questions.
[J.J.]
3/4 of the way through designing today’s activity, we realized we had broken the “autonomy with direction” rule. We wanted to share our original canvas with you, which we changed after we realized we were presenting a solution and not a problem.
This is just to demonstrate that it is easy to get caught up in your own ideas. The key is to ask yourself, in box one, did you present a problem or a solution?