A little rabbit-holing today. First stop was at Peter Kaminski’s Collective Sense Commons site and community, which led me to Jon Manning’s Creative Commons Galaxy Brain images, both in male and female representations. (I acknowledge that binary is insufficient, but we’ll leave that for later.)
Everyone talks about brain science these days. It is fun to see how folks visualize this. These images are cool to me, and YOU can use them too! Jon role models that what YOU made, YOU TOO can share!
These images are licensed under CC-0. They contain material from the following sources; if you’re using them in your own works, you’ll need to acknowledge the CC-BY elements:
What we don’t see beneath the patchwork on the surface…
This is 11th in a series of posts about the tidal wave of moving online in Pandemic-Covid-19. #1, #2, #3, #4 , #5 , #6, #7, #8, #9 and #10. This post explores peer assistance and mutual support practices, building on a blog post last Spring about virtual peer assists. This is also in preparation for a KM4Dev Knowledge Café on February 18th on this topic. (Please, join us! 7:00AM PST, 16:00 CET)
We Are Connected
My colleague and friend, Helen Gilman, pointed me to a tremendous book by Robert McFarlane, “Underland: A Deep Time Journey.” Among other fascinating topics, McFarlane writes about how trees “talk to” and support each other through underground fungal networks. (See Suzanne Simard’s Ted Talk.) This reminded me that we often operate as apparent autonomous workers in our jobs — single trees — yet in fact our networks sustain and support us. We are part of a bigger whole without which we could not exist. Like looking just above the forest floor and not below, we miss the practices that generatively connect us. Unseen, but present. With this blog post I want to “observe” some of those practices we call “peer assistance.”
Here is the baseline I offer. Our greatest knowledge resource is each other. The knowledge we each carry, the perspectives and experiences around our knowledge, and our diverse contexts, gives us an immense, and decentralized resource.
Assistance: With useful peer to peer (P2P) practices, knowledge can be more accessible, freed from centralized organizational boundaries and gatekeepers. P2P practices can subvert the power of large institutions that can dominate with or perpetuate one view of the world, one knowledge perspective. P2P approaches can step around those who wish to protect, prioritize, or hoard knowledge. They can help us be aware and address racism and colonialism that has been baked into so many of our “expert-centric” practices.
Support: At a human level, P2P practices can engage each of us. They can respect the fact that we all have useful knowledge. We might feel a bit more empowered and a bit less vulnerable working at the peer-to-peer level rather than trying to show up in front of a large organization. Feel a little more human. We, and our knowledge, might be unleashed in more generative ways.
I’m interested in these P2P knowledge liberation practices, and particularly these days, doing them online. This post explores a common form of P2P, peer assists, and how we might expand the repertoire beyond them, and to include support as well as assistance.
Peer Assistance (and support!)
A fungus growing in a rotten tree near my house…
Peer assistance is NOT new. In the knowledge management (KM) world, it has been popularized by the Peer Assist format. (Doing them online is also not new, but it matters now, more than ever, with the pandemic.) I like the definition from ODI building on Purcell and Collison’s work that describes a peer assist as a “learning before doing” activity.” Learning before doing, or the process of learning before undertaking a task, activity or project.” (Learning AFTERWARDS with peers could be exemplified by an After Action Review.)
A common format for peer assists is to have the assistee – the person who needs assistance — convene a gathering with people they invite who may have useful knowledge or expertise to address the assistee’s challenge or task. “You know more than I do, please help me!”
There is an explicit recognition in peer assists that knowledge is power. Knowing “the right thing” to do is a central component. And yet, our challenges are not always about not knowing what to do, but moving beyond feeling alone and vulnerable when risking doing what we perceive we should. Knowing WHAT to do is different than doing it. Knowing HOW do do something is different than doing it. Understanding the context for doing it. Having the mindset to do it. Confidence? Enough “safety” to take the risk? This is where mutual support comes in. Recognizing that we are humans working with this knowledge.
P2P may also help us with another huge challenge we face. Bias, or more accurately, biases! An “expert-driven” view of assistance may be implicitly propagating the bias of dominant actors or cultures. It could deprioritize or even bury local and indigenous knowledge. Could P2P approaches help us a) be aware and b) step out of these traps?
KM4Dev, one of my core communities of practice, has been engaged in ongoing conversations both about decolonisation of KM, and, as always, about specific KM practices. (See these posts from Bruce Boyes and Charles Dhewa.) For example (and forgive the broad generalization) when we look at the implicit prioritization of recognized expertise, we may be practicing racism and colonialism. When we look at centralized knowledge practices — same.
In the time of COVID-19, we have focused on ONLINE practices. Online theoretically gives us more access to a wider diversity of peers and allow easy self-organization, rather than relying on a centralized source. Peer to peer methods online provide scaffolding to connect with other peers to assist in a member’s or members’ challenges and opportunities, often in a “just in time” or very contextually embedded context. I sense that they also offer a specific assumption that we all have knowledge that may be useful to others, not just the validated and/or high status “experts!”
P2P Assistance and Support Online Practice Options
One approach to peer to peer assistance recognizes we each bring something of value, even if we aren’t identified (self- or by others) as an expert in a particular area. An example of a process that recognizes this distributed resource is Troika Consulting as defined in the Liberating Structures repertoire. Three people “sit” together, taking turns sharing their challenge, problem or idea, and get feedback from two peers. It is amazing that each time people report they received insights, even with perfect strangers.
As I think about Troika compared to traditional peer assists, Troika actively promotes the idea that everyone has something of value, not just the experts. It is easy to do with just three people (or 3x X). During the process, ALL THREE people can gain insights from their peers, not just one peer assistee. There is the distribution of engagement and value creation, regardless of role.
Another Liberating Structure is Discovery and Action Dialog. DAD, as we know it, builds on the idea of positive deviance – how can one person or group succeed at what the rest of us struggle with? Exploring where there are seeds of innovation and possibility through simple guided conversations through a series of prompts, and new possibilities emerge.
There are other Liberating Structures that do this sort of unleash/engage that we might not always define as peer assistance and support, as noted in my previous blog post. You can go there for specific examples. Longstanding group process traditions such as Open Space, World Cafe and the Art of Hosting also rest on this foundation of the value of our peers.
Connect the Micorriza!
Many years back when I was deeply involved in communities of practice (CoP) work, there was this persistent observation that people drew more confidence and a sense of support from their peers in their CoP than from their supervisors and direct team members. Freed from the constraints of organizational hierarchy and politics, peer support felt more genuine. To unleash ourselves, do we need our peers? I experience this as essential.
To decolonize or remove racism from our work, do we need our peers? I don’t know about you, but I can’t even imagine doing the work without my peers, both in figuring out HOW to do it (peer assistance) and the confidence to DO the work (mutual support.)
Moving Online in Pandemic is now #MOIP!This is 10th in a series of posts about the tidal wave of moving online in the time of Covid-19. #1, #2, #3, #4 , #5 , #6, #7, #8 and #9.
I’ve mentioned my work with the Floodplains by Design network over the past few years. We have been doing a lot of experimenting and practicing with online meetings and events over the last 11 months. We captured a few of our practices and now I’ve drafted an article on Virtual Field Trips. And yes, I’m looking for your review to help improve it. Right now it lives on a Google doc where you can comment. You are also welcome to comment generally here. Care to help? I’ll post the intro below. And THANKS!
1. Introduction
At the Floodplains by Design (FbD) Culture and Capacity Action Group (C&C)November 2020 meeting, we recently reviewed and reflected upon our experiences and value of field trips to FbD project sites. (See figure 1.) COVID-19 has curtailed our face to face field trips, demanding a new, virtual way of meeting these needs.
With the C&C’s focus on building and supporting a learning network, we are interested in the overall set of learning and network weaving practices that can help spread and deepen IFM. This document offers insights and useful practices for designing and implementing virtual field trips (VTS) to support Integrated Floodplain Management (IFM). It also helps us share in general the value of, and practices around field trips which are useful in our work together whether we are F2F or together online. It builds on our first document on Virtual Peer Assists.
We hope that through these occasional articles/resource documents we can make our learning more widely available across the FbD network and beyond.
The first section of this document reflects more generally on the purpose and value created through field trips. The second section addresses specific practices for planning and executing virtual field trips. A resources section follows for additional information.
Figure 1: Harvest from the November 2020 brainstorm on VTS
We created this first draft of useful virtual field trip practices using four guiding questions.
What general immediate and longer term value is created through field trips in our integrated floodplain management (IFM) work? This establishes a shared baseline understanding of field trips in IFM.
What specific purpose(s) and value creation do field virtual trips serve in our work right now? With whom? Clear purpose drives how we design our VFTs.
What useful field trip practices have we learned for VTFs?
How might we know when we are making progress on this purpose? Like any practice, we assume that as we learn, we can improve our practice.
I’m happy to post more here if that is useful… and know the doc got pretty LONG!
Moving Online in Pandemic is now #MOIP!This is 8th in a series of posts about the tidal wave of moving online in the time of Covid-19. #1, #2, #3, #4 , #5 , #6 and #7.
In early April, Rosa Zubizarreta made a wonderful offer. She would interview me on what I’ve been learning and reflecting upon and then write it up for me. What a gift! Of course, I said yes. What started as an interview rapidly turned into a conversation! Rosa promptly returned with the notes and there they sat for two weeks. I kept thinking I’d “process” them into a blog post, and then realized the reality is to just SHARE them, as is.
When a friend offers to help you reflect, say yes!
Rosa’s practice is DiaPraxis: Awakening the Spirit of Creative Collaborationcoaching in participatory leadership • advanced group facilitation services & learning opportunities .I first knew Rosa’s work around Dynamic Facilitation. Over the years we have intersected (to my great joy) in different contexts. So enough for context, here are the notes, as is from Rosa.
Conversation with Nancy White
A theme that has been coming up for you in your work, as you help NGO’s move all their work online, is “this is a time of creative destruction”.
And so the questions this brings up include, “What is the role of “creative destruction” in these times? How do we engage constructively with “creative destruction”, in our personal lives, in our work, and in our communities?
A first step you identified, can be to focus more clearly on our purpose. As we do so, we can come up with new ways of meeting that purpose, rather than simply “transposing” what we were doing in the brick-and-mortar world, to the online world…
One simple example is the “check-in”, This is often the initial part of a group meeting, yet it can feel wearying if we are not clear on the purpose.
The purpose of the check-in is to center, settle, let go a bit of the anxiety we are all carrying,
So we can, as a group, figure out our next “right step” to take…
How can we best do so, in these times where we are all facing such diverse challenges, some of them very profound… we need simple and effective ways where we can at least briefly acknowledge and honor the challenges that each of us is facing at the moment.
***
Right now there is a great deal of shared anxiety… while at the same time, we are all anxious about different things. So how can we constructively and gracefully acknowledge emotion, without getting bogged down in it? Especially in a large group, emotions can drag us into a downward spiral. Yet sometimes, especially when we can hold them more intimately in a smaller group, there can be an upward spiral that happens from acknowledging the motions we are feeling.
So some of the check-ins you have been doing with people, include reflective writing that people do on their own, using short prompts or sentence-starters, and then share in pairs.
Another alternative is to invite people to type in their responses to the short prompts in the chat box, while also asking them to wait for the signal from you, so that everyone can “hit enter” at the same time. Then you offer a minute or two for everyone to read over, one another’s entries in the chat box….
***
And then there are our bodies… the bodies that carry our feelings, and that also get stressed out from being in front of the computer, staring at a screen, for long periods of time… and so in breaks between each main part of the meeting, you have been inviting people to take a series of belly breaths,. Taking three deep breaths, allowing your belly to press against the vagus nerve, which brings calm to the reptilian brain…
And stretch breaks: inviting participants to take a moment to stand up, and move your body in a way that feels good for you… either turning off your camera, or simply turning your back to it, whatever allows you to relax and not be self-conscious.
Paying attention to our bodies is a helpful practice always, yet in these times of crisis, it is especially important to do so. It takes a lot of attention to be looking at a screen; we need to be careful about not being online for too long without breaks. Making sure people have plenty of “fluid adjustment breaks” — water in, water out — really helps our bodies in these times of stress. And paying attention to our body rhythms, allows our energy to last longer.
Similarly with paying attention to emotions. Of course people have differences in how comfortable they are with emotions; some people may welcome expressing emotions, while others may need to say, “I need a break from emotions.” Part of emotional literacy is being able to make room for those differences, as well… even simply to acknowledge them….
So this is one way in which “creative destruction” is showing up… the old paradigm of showing up for meetings only “from the neck up” is something we are being called to let go of…
While at the same time, refocusing on the power of attentive listening.
***
Another realm of “creative destruction” has to do with the constraints of formality… instead of three-piece suits and ties, people are now calling in from their homes, with their dogs and their kids. You have been noticing how much easier it is, to feel immediately closer to them. There is an intimacy of popping into people’s living rooms… while it too has its downsides, we can also celebrate all that it makes possible…
And at the same time, need to keep in mind, how we help clients who don’t have online access, to also access services…
***
“Creative destruction” is showing up in other realms as well, not just with regard to meetings… also with regard to children’s education, as parents are exploring learning in a different way than schooling…
And, as we let go of the things that we had previously designed, and were attached to, –whether they were designed well or not — there are emotions that come up: there is fear, and there is a grief process…
And so a question we need to ask ourselves, is how much time do we want to spend, acknowledging the fear and the grief, and how much time in moving forward?
And then, when we are looking at moving forward, there is the task of choosing the “right next step”, from among a million possibilities. There is the challenge of decision-making in a time of transition, and the awful responsibility of it.
For example for an individual, it could be, when to isolate?
For an organization, it could be, do we transfer all planned training from offline to online — or maybe, do we want to rethink training in general?
One helpful approach here is the importance of appreciating what is working. This is part of seeing what is possible. If we can’t appreciate anything, it makes it harder to see what is possible.
Discovery & action dialogue is a way of applying AI and positive deviance.
When we are working with the 15% pattern, we are looking at a) what is my challenge? b) what is the 1st step I can take toward meeting it? (The first step toward, what is possible); and then c) How will we know if we are making progress? We are not talking about randomized controlled evaluation here, but rather attuning to simple indicators…
Then, after we have chosen a right next step, as well as the indicators that will let us know if we are making progress, it can be helpful to distill our message, and find clear and succinct ways to communicate; right now we are all suffering not just from information overload, but also, from disinformation overload…
***
Misc…
From a larger perspective, we are seeing that the same stuff that flattens the curve with regard to the Corona virus, also flattens the curve with regard to the climate crisis…
I’m shortening the title… Moving Online in Pandemic is now #MOIP!This is 6th in a series of posts about the tidal wave of moving online in the time of Covid-19. #1, #2, #3, #4 , #5 and #6. This time a client has graciously allow me to share their story!
I’ve been having a great time working with the Floodplains by Design Network (FbD), particularly the Culture and Capacity Building Action Group (C&C in our shorthand!). C&C members have targeted peer to peer (P2P) learning as an important tactic for identifying and sharing knowledge. One form of P2P learning is to ask for and get help from peers. Peer Assists are one format for the giving and getting of help. They help tap both local and network wide knowledge, support local contextualization (no “one ring to rule them all” as Frodo might wish), and are easy to do. Some even say it is pleasurable! This Spring the C&C members have committed to at least two Peer Assists. And to make them accessible across our wide geography, we decided to do them online. That turned out to be a wise choice given the Covid-19 outbreak.
About Peer Assists
There are many ways to do PAs. You can simply call up another network member and talk about your challenge. This is helpful for matching specific expertise with a specific need — and we recognize we need to figure out a mechanism so FbD members can easily find each other for this sort of direct exchange.
We also benefit from a diversity of views. Sometimes the most helpful ideas come from the “unusual suspects” and people who see and experience the world differently than we do. Here are some variations to consider:
Troika Consulting , User Experience Fishbowl and Wise Crowds are three of my “go-to” peer assist variations. They create simple “containers” for people to get direct help on a challenge. The difference is that Troika works in an intimate trio, Wise Crowds uses rotating small groups to enable multiple people to get peer assistance, and Users Experience Fishbowl supports two layers of support – direct and indirect. It is a bit of hybrid option.
If you are trying to elicit expertise, instead of trying to apply it in context, you can try or Celebrity Interview. THis is not exactly the same thing as peer to peer assistance, but by asking people questions, we often get more and deeper insights than if they just did a presentation. It is more engaging for those watching as well.
Appreciative Interviews help pull out current success upon which we can build. So maybe one watershed has really made huge progress, but we can’t quite figure out how to make that same progress in our watersheds. Discovery and Action Dialog can help us discover who is succeeding where the rest of us are struggling. (A way of surfacing positive deviance!)
C&C’s First Peer Assist
In early April we had our first Peer Assist, helping Kat, a member move her work on a strategy element forward. She was looking for ideas about how to frame and build a strategy element that reflected views FROM the network, so a Peer Assist seemed useful. She identified some people she wanted present and others from the C&C volunteered to be her consultants. To help shine a light on the process and add another layer of support we invited the whole C&C to be the “bowl” of the fishbowl.
We convened on the Zoom video conferencing platform. In an hour Kat laid out her challenge, the “consultants” asked clarifying questions, and then Kat turned her back to her computer screen while her consultants talked about her challenge. After about 20 minutes she turned around, shared the key insights she gained and thanked her consultants.
At the end, we debrief and came up with the following observations to help improve our next Peer Assist:
Great way of engaging. It takes courage — and you need to be truthful and honest about the feedback. Incorporate it in and be willing to accept the harsh reality.
Lesson: French Revolution – king reached out but didn’t do anything with the input! Input –> heard, seen, respected and USED!Suggest that problem statement for peer assist be elaborated in written text and distributed to panel in advance so they can gather thoughts / questions
+1 Some of my best thinking happens during drives/walks/showers/doing the dishes…
From a Bowl person: Not quite sure how to engage, questions are relevant, but didn’t know what process looked like. How does this all work? (Lesson: not everyone got the same instructions in advance due to later additions of participants. Don’t let that slip through the cracks.)
If more time engage the outer ring
What would be a valuable question for a peer assist? Examples of questions, projects in different stages.
How do we know about peer assist tool? Share more about the methodology (this article!)
In times of Covid and working at home with kids → Evening Peer Assists after kids go to bed
Humor: happy hour assists might cross certain lines, but the feedback would flow
Want more tips on how to do Peer Assists? Online and need to learn how to use zoom?
Want the geeky process details? Here is an outline of how you can set up your own Peer Assist using Users Experience Fishbowl method:
Preparation:
Identify your peer assistee. Ask if they have individuals they want as their consultants, and/or cast a net more widely. You do NOT need a large group. In this particular variation 3-4 consultants in the fishbowl with the peer assistee provides time for depth and sufficient intimacy for the conversation. Other useful folks are the “bowl” observing and sharing other ideas in chat which can be processed by the assistee later.
For a small group, one person can guide the process and take note. If there is a larger “bowl” of people it can be helpful to have one person to take notes in addition to the facilitator.
Invitation:
Send an invitation out. Draft copy below…
Thanks for being willing to do a peer assist. We are doing a peer assist variation called “Users Experience Fishbowl” where a small group of people support a person with a challenge or question (the “fish”) while other observers listen and respond afterwards.
Please come and help NAME OF PEER ASSISTEE think about her next steps with the CHALLENGE PERSON HAS. ADD THE PERSON’S CHALLENGING QUESTION HERE.
Technical Details: We’ll meet on a Zoom video platform so ideally you need a mic and a camera attached to your device. Best is a computer, then tablet, then phone. Log on a few minutes early if you are new to Zoom to make sure everything is running well. Due to the huge current loads on Zoom, sometimes it takes a few tries to get into a Zoom room… the days we live in!
Preparation: In preparation, we’ll send you WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO SEND. KEEP IT BRIEF to skim as time is available. Mostly bring your ears, your brains, experiences and insights from your floodplains work.
The X NUMBER OF FISH – YOU CAN NAME THEM will be ASSISTEE’S NAME consultants. Other interested folks will observe the process, staying off camera and just listen/ take notes in the Zoom chat.
How this will work: Tight 60 minute agenda
10 minutes: Brief introductions both of fish and “bowl folks.”
5 minutes: PEER ASSISTEE shares their challenge. (It is helpful if this builds on what was sent in advice, versus telling the same thing again.)
3-5 minutes: Consultants ask clarifying questions (no ideas, suggestions or their own stories yet.)
15-20 minutes: PEER ASSISTEE will turn off her Zoom camera, turn around with a notebook and simply listen as you talk about her challenge. She will not nod her head, respond, rebut or interject in any way. JUST LISTEN. As consultants, talk amongst yourselves with advice, experience, comparable stories. Range freely and think boldly. Dive into your experiences and data. The notetaker/facilitator will take notes.
5 minutes: PEER ASSISTEE will turn around and thank you, and if they want, share the most useful things they heard from you. They will share her next step in addressing their challenge.
10 minutes: Invite the observers to share any highlights or comments they noticed.
5 minutes: Debrief the process and outcomes.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
