How do you lead software teams where everyone is a volunteer, can't commit for long periods, and new people join all the time? Here are 14 leaderships hacks we use at http://OpenOakland.org at our civic hack nights. We build apps that make the lives of Oaklanders better and help Oakland City Hall innovate. Over pizza.
Operations Management -- Sustainability and Supply Chain Management.pdf
14 OpenOakland Leadership Hacks for 2015
1. OpenOakland leadership
14 Volunteer Experience choices you might see at
OpenOakland Civic Hack Nights in 2015
Phil Wolff"
@evanwolf, OpenOakland.org, pwolff@gmail.com
8. What will you see at a hack night?
We host 50 hack nights a year!
9. Buddy Leadership.
• People come and go. So it's a great idea to
share jobs.
• Especially leadership roles where others
depend on you.
• We've had co-captains from the start and
other roles have been shared.
10. Do-ocracy.
• We give respect and authority to those who
do something, to those who produce results.
• Very OccupyOakland (the other OO).
11. Adhocracy. Swarming.
• We'll form new teams at the drop-of-a-hat
(instantly, as needed).
• And disband just as fast when the need
passes.
12. Wirearchy.
• Adding new connectedness to our minimal
hierarchy.
• People connected by interests, by informal
relationships, by Community of Practice.
• Podularity.
13. Forgiveness.
• With a very few exceptions, we've stayed out
of trouble.
• When we do muck things up, we're a kind
and forgiving bunch. Error is part of learning.
• This lets people dive in without much fear,
tolerating risk.
14. Director of Joy.
• The person who makes everyone welcome,
who makes sure people are having fun, that
teams are clicking.
• Not a formal role (yet) but several of us
actually talk to newbies. #tummler
15. Goad.
• You know the guy behind you at the craps table
shouting in your ear to bet it all and roll the dice?
• We like those people.
• And the gamblers who roll the dice.
• We need volunteers to make lots of calculated
bets. "
This leads to learning and winning. "
Sometimes to loss (see forgiveness).
• Even better when tests produce actionable
knowledge. When learnings are shared. "
See institutional memory and community of
practice.
16. Less.
Big believers in doing less.
• We're volunteers, nearly all of us giving less
than three hours a week (one hack night).
Even together, that's not much time.
• So we're attracted to simple and small
projects, with clean edges and defined
releases. Something that can be finished.
• We appreciate teams saying “not now, some
day” to wishlists. So focus.
17. Caring more.
We respect the fervent.
• You may not be able to code
but you have passion for the
subject matter, enthusiasm for
solving problems, and a strong
will to make a difference.
• We love these people on teams;
harnessed to a work process,
they keep projects going
through the rough patches
when others might abandon
hope.
18. Design the role around the
person.
• Everyone is so different; nearly impossible to fit
someone into a predefined job description.
• So help them craft the role to suit their own idea
of the job, to exploit their strengths, sidestep their
weaknesses, pique their interests, and build their
professional capacities.
• They are happier, do more, and their work makes
more sense.
19. The volunteer is the customer.
• to make a difference as an Oaklander,
• to belong to something larger,
• to learn through action,
• to accomplish and feel proud,
• to amplify their hopes and dreams,
• to build relationship capital,
• to be more effective together than on their own,
• to have fun doing it.
What they're “buying” with their time and talent
is the ability…
20. The volunteer is the customer.
Designing the volunteer experiences –
our meetings, our projects, our ways of
working – for the volunteer ensures we're
able to help Oakland innovate, solve
problems, and do the other lovely things
we accomplish together.
21. We compete for volunteer time
every week.
• We’re not the only place in town.
• Minecraft beckons. So does every other way
to volunteer. Or entrepreneurial side projects.
• We must be a more convenient, productive,
enjoyable, meaningful way to spend scarce
disposable time.
22. Minimize volunteers’ "
cognitive burden.
• Be the High Signal organization.
• Avoid adding too many communication channels "
(or communications).
• Avoid wasting time on less-productive activities.
• Hide organizational sausage-making unless they
express a strong desire to know.
• This makes backchannels and private email/slack
threads the norm for project, functional team, and
organizational work.
23. Feed the people.
• You can’t meet for hours after work without
feeding the volunteers.
• Pizza, burritos, tacos, and candy on the menu.
Mostly pizza.
• Eating is social, vital for newbies, "
great for informal statusing
• Our Pizza Pro Forma calculator.
24. This is just part of our truth
• Still learning
• Not consensus
• Stream is never the
same twice
• We’re very f2f for a
tech/innovation group
• We’re affected by
changes to Oakland
• Economy
• Culture
• Government
25. To recap…
• Buddy
Leadership
• Doöcracy
• Adhocracy/
Swarming
• Wirearchy
• Forgiveness
• Director of Joy
• Goad
• Less
• Caring More
• Design the role
around the
person
• The Volunteer Is
The Customer
• Compete For
Volunteer Time/
Attention
• Get Out Of The
Way
• Feed the people
26. OpenOakland leadership
Phil Wolff "
@evanwolf pwolff@gmail.com OpenOakland.org
Caveats lector: My observations alone, may not represent the opinions of OO.