Managing Up, Down and Sideways - Digital PM Summit 2013

#Dpm2013 @BfkDigital Pm Summit 2013

Managing ☝, ☟ and ☞Breandán Knowlton

@bfk | breandan.org

Hi. I'd Iike to talk to you today about relationships.


Raise your hands …

… if all of your projects run smoothly (OK, we’ll go home) … if everything you’ve done is on time and on budget (Will you teach me?) … if you do complicated projects with people who don’t always agree.

#Dpm2013 @BfkDigital Project Manager Summit 2013#Dpm2013 @BfkDigital Pm Summit 2013

Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater.

– Einstein“ ”+Einstein said, “Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater.” I kind of feel like that about projects. We all have difficulties - I don’t know that mine are any more difficult than yours, but since some of you have asked, here’s the project that I’m working on.


I work at Europe’s digital museum, library and archive, called Europeana. We’re trying to digitise the contents of all the museums, all the libraries, all the archives in Europe, and bringing them together in a shared repository. This is a complex project, involving hundreds of people in 30 countries, and has cost 1/4B Euros so far. We’re about 1% done – that’s about 30 million cultural heritage objects that we’ve collected. But even with a large project, my biggest problems aren’t managing money and time - but relationships. And there's a big barrier here that keeps us back.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/41894166582@N01/843277238/

In our field, like others, there’s a problem with stereotypes that keep us from really understanding the relationships around us. If I asked you to identify a coder, a creative, or a client you’d form immediate mental images of those people. Stereotypes are evolutionarily useful for humans - they help us instantly identify our predators - and run! They hide all of the analysis and detail. But sometimes we need the detail. One of the hardest thing about relationships, as we heard yesterday, is in developing empathy for other people. And I don't mean soft and fluffy listening skills, though those are important too. I mean the actual ability to understand what is going on in your relationships with other humans.

http://www.fasoforward.org/faso/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/mossi3.jpeg


TodayRelationships

Four Models

Two Exercises

So today I’d like to present a frame, a theory that might help you to sort out some of those relationships. I’d also like to do a couple of exercises where we can discuss with each other how this might apply to your projects.


The Fiske Model“A Framework for a Unified Theory of Social Relations”

I'm going to put on my anthropologist hat. My model today comes from Prof. Alan P. Fiske of the UCLA Department of Anthropology. Like most anthropologists, he does fieldwork to study other cultures and how they operate. As part of his work, he’s developed what he calls “A Framework for a Unified Theory of Social Relations”. (http://bit.ly/a1aoqL)


He published most of his work in the early 90s, and it has been validated by a number of subsequent experiments. Currently this work is being used to model problems in business and family life, and even to answer questions like, “which string quartet becomes the most popular in a region?”


http://www.fasoforward.org/faso/

Prof. Fiske did his research among the Mossi (Moose) tribe of Burkina Faso in Africa. He spent time learning the social traditions of this group of people, and noticed that all of their interactions could be broken down into a few social relationship models, which he described in his Framework. After coming back from Africa, he and other scholars conducted experiments showing that these models were in fact universal.

http://www.fasoforward.org/faso/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/mossi3.jpeg


An interpersonal relationship is a strong, deep, or close

association/acquaintance between two or more people

that may range in duration from brief to enduring.

”“

… a social relationship exists when any person acts

under the implicit assumption that they are interacting

with reference to imputedly shared meanings.

– Fiske

We think about “relationships” almost interchangeably with “romantic relationship”, but in fact it describes any “strong, deep or close association or acquaintance between two or more people, ranging from brief to enduring.” Prof. Fiske further notes that these social relationships “exist[] when any person acts under the implicit assumption that they are interacting with reference to imputedly shared meanings.” In other words, we maintain relationships under the assumption that our partners are using the same definitions that we are. There are four types.


1. Communal Sharinge.g. Love

Commons

Collective Responsibility

CS

The "Communal Sharing" relationship type holds whenever there is collective responsibility for something, such as a family or romantic setting.

#Dpm2013 @BfkDigital Pm Summit 2013http://www.chobirdokan.com/1162/

CS

When we enter the “Collective Responsibility” of our family relationships, we don’t expect a quid pro quo. Instead, we see that we’re contributing to something greater than ourselves.


http://johngodley.com/tag/regents-park/

CS

In the same way, a commons such as a public park is also governed by a Collective Responsibility -- we each contribute, we each take value, but the relationship between these sunbathers is about a common, shared responsibility for keeping the park safe and clean, through personal action, taxation or some other means. So if there's "Collective Responsibility", you're in a "Communal Sharing" relationship.


2. Authority RankingHierarchy

Class

Prestige

AR

Secondly, we have Authority Ranking relationships. Whenever you see an asymmetry in status, or class, or power, this is probably an authority-based model.


http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/News-and-Events/Latest-News/2012/May/10/120510-QDJ-Edinburgh

AR

This might take the form of a formalised class system, such as a monarchy or a military. These formal systems generally can be seen outward signs such as uniforms, body language or more subtle cues like big offices.

http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/News-and-Events/Latest-News/2012/May/10/120510-QDJ-Edinburgh


http://www.flickr.com/photos/kittyfoo/5817897001/

AR

But authority also comes from other kinds of ranking. When visionaries in a field are listened to and respected simply as a result of their knowledge or ideas, this is also a difference in effective authority. So if you notice status differences, you're in an "Authority Ranking" relationship.


3. Equality MatchingGames

Democracy

LawsEM

The third model is called “Equality Matching”, and is about our sense of fairness. In our games, in our politics, in our laws, we expect people to be treated fairly and equally.


http://www.ddth.com/

EM

Opposing players on a football team will fight fiercely, but both sides fully expect to be treated equally and fairly under the rules of the game, as adjudicated by the referees.


http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/2012/countymaprb1024.png

EM

When we vote for our leaders, we believe that it is fair to have “one person, one vote”, and we expect those votes to be counted fairly and transparently. If your consideration is about justice or fairness, you're probably in an "Equality Matching" relationship.


4. Market PricingPrices

Wages

Cost-Benefit MP

The last kind of relationship in Prof. Fiske’s framework is the “Market Pricing” model. This mode seems obvious to all capitalists - we expect to trade goods or services for tokens or goods of equal value. The relationships here are governed exactly by a “quid pro quo”, or “this for that” - we expect the same value that we contribute.


MP

This pricing is usually denominated in cash, but there are other more indirect trades that we make, such as investments in the future and services in-kind.


http://www.opencurrency.com/buy-sell-or-trade/

MP

Of course, any barter system would fall under this model as well -- the important thing is that we expect to take out exactly what we put into the relationship. I'd you're looking to trade things of equal value, you're in a Market Pricing relationship. A lot of projects start out this way, but you might be frustrated if it stays there.



1. Community Sharing

2. Authority Ranking

3. Equality Matching

4. Market Pricing MPEM

ARCS

So, to recap, we have four modes of social relationships, Community Sharing - Collective Responsibility, Authority Ranking - Difference in Status, Equality Matching - Justice and Fairness, and Market Pricing - trade of equal value. There tends to be a dominant one at any given time. Also, any two people tend to stick to the same kind of relationship, and it will take conscious effort to break out of that mode.


http://www.therussianshop.com/russhop/invitationalpage/sudarushka.htm

Of course, there are always lots of things going on, and we nest these relationships within each other. In a family, what might be largely a Communal relationship also includes Authority differences between parents and children, probably includes activities where Equality and fairness are essential, and perhaps even involves a certain amount of market-based bargaining. But one mode tends to be dominant.



Exercise: Empathy MapSpend 5 minutes individually thinking about

how your assigned persona

thinks & feels about your last project.

So let’s do an exercise.


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So let’s do an exercise. An “Empathy Map” is a tool developed by Dave Gray and XPLANE, and is popular with User Experience folks. While these are generally used to create mental models of our end-users, today we’re going to do some modelling of people a little closer to home. I’ll ask each of you to spend five minutes thinking about how a persona thinks & feels about your last project.


Let’s discuss.

Let’s discuss.


Exercise: Case StudySpend 5 minutes individually thinking about

a recent conflict on one of your projects.

Now that we’ve made some mental models, let’s do another exercise. On the other handout I’ve written down just a couple of questions. Spend a few minutes thinking about a recent conflict on one of your projects. For example, when Mr. Zeldman told us yesterday about a boss who asked for a 1px border, the boss assumed that he was in a higher-status position. In fact, Mr. Zeldman saw that relationship as a much simpler market exchange of labour for money, and considered himself to be the authority on design. They were using different models. So think about a conflict you’ve had, and if you can, think about how the other person perceived that conflict and what models might have been involved. Take five minutes, and then we’ll discuss. You can talk among yourselves if that’s helpful.


Let’s discuss.

Let's discuss.


To sum up:

1. Community Sharing

2. Authority Ranking

3. Equality Matching

4. Market PricingMPEM

ARCS

To recap: there are four modes of social relationships, and it’s your job as a PM to identify which one you are in at the moment. You can manage up with your bosses, manage down to your team, and manage sideways with your clients. From there, you can build a better picture of the person you’re dealing with. And from that point, you can decide whether you want to play by the rules of that model or not.


When you start to develop your powers

of empathy and imagination, the whole

world opens up to you.

— Susan Sarandon

“ ”Susan Sarandon reminds us that “when you start to develop your powers of empathy and imagination, the whole world opens up to you.” We’ve had some good discussion here today, and I would encourage you to continue the good work using the hashtag #dpm2013 or find me on twitter at @bfk or on the web at breandan.org.


Thank you for your attention!

Breandán Knowlton

breandan.org

If you’ve enjoyed the discussion, I’ve recently written an article for A List Apart (http://alistapart.com/articles/getting-to-flow ) that you might find interesting, called “Getting to Flow”. I’ve also written a book called “A Practical Guide to Managing Web Projects”, available in paperback and eBook from FiveSimpleSteps.com (http://www.fivesimplesteps.com/products/a-practical-guide-to-managing-web-projects). If you’ve brought a copy with you, I’m more than happy to sign it for free. Unlike William Shatner when I was at New York ComicCon last week. Thanks so much for listening this afternoon!

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Managing Up, Down and Sideways - Digital PM Summit 2013