Practical Diversity Tactics Interactive Workshop

P R A C T I C A L T E A M D I V E R S I T Y TA C T I C S

I N T E R A C T I V E W O R K S H O P ( Y E S , Y O U R I D E A S A R E N E E D E D )

Lanette Creamer

P R I M E D I R E C T I V E F O R A G I L E R E T R O S P E C T I V E S

Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job

they could, given what they knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the resources available, and the

situation at hand.

I T ’ S G O I N G D O W N L I K E T H I S

• Set the tone

• The team level

• What aren’t we talking about?

• What tactics?

• Activities

• What happens next?

Oh really? I suppose you’ve got this all

solved then?

B I A S

W E A L L H A V E I T B U T I T I S E A S I E R T O D E T E C T I N O T H E R S

I’m pretty sure they are biased!

What is their problem?

W H Y A L L T H E C O N F L I C T ?

I T S E E M S L I K E A L L D R A M A A N D L I T T L E P R O G R E S S

I T R I E D T O H E L P & I T S U C K E D

Check your privilege!

T O U G H E R ?W H Y C A N ’ T W E A L L J U S T B E

G O A H E A D & C A L L T H E C O P S !

I D O N ’ T S E E A S A F E T Y I S S U E

R E F U S I N G T O A D M I T T H AT W E S E E D I F F E R E N C E S I S N O T W O R K I N G

W E A R E N O T A L L T H E S A M E

T H E W R O N G WAY T O E Q U A L I T YT R E A T I N G E V E R Y O N E I N H U M A N E LY

I started interrupting the executives during meetings

too! Now they all feel equally unimportant. Problem solved.

W E H AV E E V E RY T H I N G T O G A I N B Y S E L F O R G A N I Z I N G

T H E C O S T O F S P E A K I N G U P

• Why pretending can be profitable.

• But I’m not experiencing problems?

• How widespread is this?

• Can’t the law fix this?

• We don’t need no Code of Conducts.

T H E B A C K S T O RYS O , H O W D I D Y O U G E T H E R E ?

Lean in to the dish, Sparkles. Lean in! I’m

sure with the right attitude all will be well.

Perception is reality!

W H AT C A N W E D O F O R Y O U R T E A M T O D AY, T O G E T H E R ?

3 minutes

– A S H O C K I N G LY C O M M O N B U T P R O VA B LY FA L S E V I E W

“Most people pretty much get what they deserve.”

I deserve this! I’m certainly better than

kitten. I know because I have this kibble.

The lack of self awareness is

stunning.

Y O U ’ D B E P E R F E C T I F O N LY, . .J U S T C H A N G E E V E R Y T H I N G , T H E N Y O U C A N B E O N E O F U S

I T I S Y O U R R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y

• Experiments in approach

• Is “doing what works” stopping progress?

• If you’ve got yours, why would you care?

• What if they really do not know?

• Who has to educate

Could I just focus on my job now? I’d rather not spend my free time voluntarily

interacting with people who don’t like me?

B E I N G C O O L

R O C K S TA R S L O V E

– O N E A S P E C T O F H U M A N N AT U R E

“I don’t care until it impacts me.”

W H AT D I F F E R E N C E D O E S I T M A K E T O A T E A M ? W H AT FA C T O R S D I S C O U R A G E D I V E R S I T Y ?

10 minutes

A C C E S S T O M E D I C A L C A R EW E S T I L L H A V E G A P S I N A R E A S A S B A S I C A S

I N T E N T I O N S D O N O T PAY B I L L SC O M P E N S A T I O N E Q U A L I T Y M A T T E R S B E C A U S E

Ageism

The fun is over.

D I S C U S S I N G A P R O B L E M I S N ’ T A P R O B L E M

W H E N N E G A T I V I T Y I S S E E N A S C A R E E R L I M I T I N G , H O W C A N VA L I D I S S U E S B E

A D D R E S S E D ?

A S P E E R S , W H AT M I G H T W E D O T O S U P P O R T T E A M M E M B E R S FA C I N G D I S C R I M I N AT I O N ?

10 minutes

E VA L U AT I O N E Q U A L I T YC O N F I R M A T I O N B I A S , F E E D B A C K , P E R F O R M A N C E R E V I E W S

You need to show your positivity, Tim. Since we started pointing out how

negative you are, you haven’t improved. I’m afraid we need to

monitor you closer so you can prove you are feeling more positive.

I am positive that you aren’t helping?

WHAT TACTICS CAN BE USED TO IMPROVE FEEDBACK FAIRNESS?

10 minutes

• Environment

• Opportunity

• Feedback

• Exposure to Threats (Harassment, Abuse, Bullying)

• Subtext, Pretext, and the Largeness of Nothing

• Gender and Gender Identity

• Age

• Race

• Sexual Orientation

• Creed, Religion

• Disabilities

• Assumption, Expectation, Credibility

• Invitation, Compensation, Negotiation

U S I N G T H E C AT E G O R I E S M E N T I O N E D , O R Y O U R O W N C AT E G O R I E S I N A D D I T I O N , W H I C H A R E A S

M O S T I M PA C T Y O U R T E A M R I G H T N O W ?

15 minutes

T E M P O R A RY H U RT S ?W E C A N H E A L T H E

I F W E A R E AWA R E O F T H E M

I N G E N I O U S T E C H N O L O G Y

A B I L I T Y E Q U A L I Z I N G E F F O R T

P R O T E C T I N G T H E V U L N E R A B L E

Y O U C A N ’ T E N S U R E S U R V I VA L B U T E F F O R T M A K E S I T P O S S I B L E

OPPORTUNITY

C H A N C E S B E C O M E P R O V E N E X P E R I E N C E

P R O T E C T I N G T H E N 0 0 B SS U P P O R T T H O S E W I T H O U T T H E E X P E R I E N C E

WHAT TACTICS CAN BE USED TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO EDUCATION AND OPPORTUNITIES?

10 minutes

E N V I R O N M E N TA L I M P R O V E M E N T SW E C A N A L L B E M O R E E F F E C T I V E W I T H

S A F E T Y, C O M F O R T, S AT I S FA C T I O N

OPEN SPACE NOISE POLLUTIONT H E S T R U G G L E I S R E A L

WHAT ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES COULD IMPROVE WORKING CONDITIONS FOR EVERYONE?

10 minutes

M I S TA K E S W I L L B E M A D E

H O W D O W E R E C O V E R ?

– N I N J A C AT S

“Handling conflict well takes skill and practice.”

• Excuses

• Denial

• Defensiveness/Rationalization

• Intention Explaining

• Criticizing

Normal Responses to Feedback

HOW CAN WE RESPOND BETTER TO FEEDBACK, OR TO OTHERS IF WE GET THESE NORMAL, BUT LESS THAN IDEAL RESPONSES?

WHAT CAN WE DO TO RECOVER WHEN MISTAKES ARE MADE?

10 minutes

C O H E S I V E T E A M S

S U P P O RT O N E A N O T H E R

REAL EXPERIENCES, REAL IDEAS

? minutes

• Privilege

• Safety

• Access

• Opportunity

• Retention/Belonging

CONSIDERATIONS FOR AGILE TEAMS

A N I M A L A N A LY T I C S

I N T E R A C T I V E I D E A S : W H AT D I F F E R E N C E D O E S I T M A K E T O A T E A M ? W H AT

FA C T O R S D I S C O U R A G E D I V E R S I T Y ?• Create a safe environment.

• By having more biased opinions (and all of our opinions are biased to some extent) we can make better decisions.

• With more diversity, consensus is harder to reach.

• Groupthink is harder with a more diverse group, which may be difficult, but can reduce quality risk.

• Having different cultures isn’t all the happy stock photos and rewards without struggle (oh we are so global & it is easy). It is challenging to learn different social norms in teams.

• Diversity is important because why should we limit the future for our daughters? They should have every option to choose.

• We need to do more to hire and retain a diverse group. Unconscious bias filters out many people without intending to.

• More different perspectives provide a better chance to observe and understand accurately.

• Inviting the quiet to be heard is even more critical in a diverse group. Letting the loudest drown out others is a risk. Inviting and then actually listening.

• There is more conflict with a diverse group, but not all conflict is bad.

• A lack of trust is harmful to diversity. Trust can be useful in encouraging diversity.

• Observation: Men at some companies tend to collaborate at the start to “get it over with”, but the women tend to collaborate throughout more. Quality was brought to a higher level because of collaborating throughout.

• Having people who are not like me on my team at all would be a change.

• Forsaking derision enables inclusivity.

• Managers should reach out more, make conditions more flexible to attract more women.

• See testers (and other disciplines and skills) more as equals.

I N T E R A C T I V E I D E A S : A S P E E R S , W H AT M I G H T W E D O T O S U P P O R T T E A M

M E M B E R S FA C I N G D I S C R I M I N AT I O N ?• Solidarity

• Can you speak up? Do you have the security to stand up, speak up, or defend someone outright? It does no good if it results in two people unemployed if that is a risk they can not take. Some are in positions to help this way, others need a more low-key approach.

• Physical intimidation and the threat of battery is actually assault.

• Peer pressure can be used as a powerful good influence. Model good behavior, and make it known that discrimination isn’t welcome.

• Take a risk. The cost of doing nothing is quite high.

• Diversity appears to be shrinking both overall percentage at tech companies, and even more on engineering teams based on self reported data from companies. We have about half as many women as we did in 2000.

• Record discrimination and make it transparent. If you see questionable behavior, it can help to take down a note if recording isn’t allowed, or make a cell phone video and make it obvious that you are doing so. Abuse thrives most in secrecy.

• When a known bully is involved, does it help to fight back? Fly under the radar? Or resign? You can’t change them, but you can sometimes change the dynamic. If it is making YOU someone you do not want to be, it may be best to find other opportunities.

• We all make mistakes. Apologizing and being accountable for your own actions goes much further than excuses and deflecting blame.

• Refusal to apologize for mistakes should be a fireable offense.

• Not participating in spreading harmful commentary about others on our team can help with inclusivity, as can balancing it out by adding positives.

I N T E R A C T I V E I D E A S : W H AT TA C T I C S C A N B E U S E D T O I M P R O V E F E E D B A C K FA I R N E S S ?

• If there is a change needed, the person themselves needs to control and track progress. Ownership and accountability needs to be a collaboration. Coaching can’t just be criticism & monitoring and work.

• All performance reviews are harmful. More companies need to read what science says about this.

• Threats that imply “The beatings will continue until Morale improves” harm engagement.

• Avoid stack ranking. It is nearly always harmful and causes side-effects.

• When asked which employees go in to the life raft, explain that the captain goes down with the ship, and expect your manager’s resignation.

• If your employees feel disposable, you can’t expect loyalty or engagement from them.

• If you rely on “tossing out the weak” surely people will game the system.

• Timely actionable feedback is far better than waiting for a performance review.

• Transformational Leadership has helped our team.

• Listen, Parrot, and Validate Understanding.

• Allow people to debrief and decompress during and after stressful situations. Return to the conversation if needed for it to be constructive.

• Show maturity and class regardless of how others behave.

• Stay on the point. It is about the behavior and not about the person.

• Be aware that women and minorities are more often evalutated on personality and appearance rather than work. Keep it about the work and do not allow personality differences to influence opinions unfairly.

O T H E R I N T E R A C T I V E C O M M E N T S

• There is a mob mentality where a team member is attacked by everyone. It is not good for the team to have expendable “red shirts” or “scapegoats”.

• On our team, a woman from a specialty I didn’t understand pushed my work to the next level. She felt that the idea “wasn’t quite there yet”. Due to her willingness to continue contributing, we ended up with a patent shared between the two of us. Without her perspective, the work would have been much less.

• Hiring managers are in denial. The list of what is “required” is so far removed from the skills those currently doing the job have that it is causing far more of a problem than just “the pipeline”.

S P E A K E R ’ S N O T E S

• We did not finish all of these slides or activities as we favored interactive discussion over following any agenda.

• Those who shared in the workshop participated with intent of adding practical ideas to try for those who wish to increase and support inclusivity. Not all ideas are appropriate in all settings for all teams.