Omnibus Frameworks, Collaboration and Social Media
Thomas M. Cagley Jr
Collaboration and more specifically the processes, practices and tools used to support the practice has become one the hottest category of topics in the process improvement world. The level of importance that is being placed on the collaboration category can be gauged by the number of references in industry publications, interviews or presentations. Pick up your stack of weekly ‘zines and start counting. Why has the category become so popular? It isn’t a new topic; the great gods of the IT industry press didn’t wake up early last year and invent collaboration, in my opinion we have reached the juncture of two unstoppable and irresistible forces.
The first of these forces is that wave of energy created as the focus of the process improvement movement changes direction. In 1985 the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) began work on a Process Maturity Framework. The framework became the Capability Maturity Model and later the Capability Maturity Model Integrated. The creation of the SEI, I would suggest was the beginning or at least the formal recognition of the need for a broad common frameworks to guide change. The “omnibus framework” has been the primary focus of the process improvement movement for the last twenty years. Branded frameworks like the CMMI, ISO or RUP have been the tool de-rigor to date of the SPI movement. These frameworks have done yeoman’s work; defining the practices and activities commonly required to deliver functionality. Times are changing. Many organizations have begun to consider that the omnibus frameworks have become a soup of different ideas that has become to large and messy. According to Ivar Jacobson, “the industry’s penchant for following branded processes is unsustainable.”
The second force in this perfect storm is the evolution and acceptance of group think, collectivism or more loudly, “Digital Maoism.” We will return to this concept in future essays. In this essay I would like to explore the explosion of the social media tools that are enabling the new collectivism (powered by WEB 2.0). Collaboration tools are now nearly ubiquitous in the home, in the workplace and on your belt. These tools are wielded by a generation that has grown up using tools like instant messenger and texting/SMS messages. We have created a generation for whom it is nearly inconceivable that you will be out of touch unless you make a conscious choice. The WEB has made most of these tools easy to obtain, easy to use and cheap to operate. The ability of teams to avail themselves to ubiquitous communication is the foundation sharing.
The combination of these two forces has led a bit of intergenerational conflict and an explosion of change. The continuum including isolationists, “do-it-yourselfers” (DIY) and integrators that defined the IT community in the past is shifting. Where a person or an organization falls on the continuum will help define how they will interact with collaboration tools and social media. Isolationists are the type of people that will rarely raise their hand and ask for help (I know that most people believe they will ask, however research has shown otherwise according to M. Nora Klaver, author of “Mayday, Asking for Help in Times of Need”). Whether the reason for not asking is to avoid showing weakness in a competitive environment, or a fear of personal embarrassment or the basic fear of losing control; social media is a means of beginning a dialog / asking for help in a the less threatening environment. The big “if” is whether the isolationist can make the step into a world of dialogue overcoming the built in fear that seeking assistance is a sign of ineptitude. The new generation of IT professionals are more apt to be a collaborator / integrator than an isolationist.
If you are interested in process improvement you will need to address the whole continuum however isolationists are the most difficult to engage. If dealing with isolationists how can use social media to precipitate a change? Start by getting your organization’s feet wet; use tools like instant messenger to provide process support so that isolationist can experience involvement safely as a means of overcoming inertia. Manage your initial steps by using interactive tools for specific interactions, these interaction with be personal enough to build direct bridges then branch into drawing lurkers into commenting and interacting As in any social situation teach people to respect social cues (for example, is the interaction enthusiastically received or does word tepid come to mind). The major point is to have a plan and then to execute against the plan. Remember that if you are not used to using social networks as a tools. You will need to modify your own behavior will provide to build the understanding on how to use these types of tools to change in your processes.
Humans are generally social by nature, IT personnel are no different (although the stereotype indicates differently) the new focus on social media whether in second life, Twitter or other platforms are tools that will let you break down high ceremony processes into more manageable ‘practices.’ The shift from one size fits all frameworks to highly granular practices will allow you to shift control closer to work and support usage via social media tools.
