Framework Session 1: How a collaboration framework can help

Yes, the name is a placeholder. Fun for me to have an excuse to use some Esperanto though :grin: Better to have a name than no name to get started!

Can’t wait to meet up with y’all and explore these ideas together! Been working on them a long time! :seedling:

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Very excited to join in on the first meeting and discuss this. Call it Kielest or call it anything but I feel that discussing the framework for group organization of work / accountability / achievements / sustaining individual and collective efforts / and refining decisions making at resonate has been long overdue and it’s really exciting to see it happen, very grateful to people like @hakanto and @ode12 for their work, scrutiny and openness on this and for @brndnkng to give the go ahead so that we can further explore it.

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The other working title I had was Pasamanos. Apparently means handrails or bannisters in Spanish. (and easy to say and spell)

I like the imagery of a framework being like handrails, bannisters, balustrades. Not something to hold you back but something to hold on to for support, to lean on and rest yourself against, to keep you on track, (maybe keeping you from falling off the stairs lol).

A bannister also can gain a patina with time – a wear and luster as many hands have passed along it. I love that this framework too would patina – shaded, smoothed, and strengthened by use.

But my Spanish is quite limited. If Pasamanos doesn’t have some ridiculous second meaning, let me know, and we’ll have one more naming option.

Naming things is special. We’ll have a vote! Pitch your own names! (read the proposal first tho)

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:handshake: A shoutout to those at Resonate I’ve worked beside during my two years here.
:raised_hands: A shoutout to those who contributed in the past.
:wave: A shoutout to those who said hi but haven’t had the time or opportunity to get more involved.

I’m inviting you to read this collaboration proposal that I and others have put together with the goal of us having a better way to coordinate, build, and care for each other at the co-op. It also will make it much easier for all members to know what current projects and goals are.

If you’re interested in participating in the upcoming meetup, please complete the poll to pick a time for the September 3rd meetup. And keep an eye out for more calls over the coming months!

If you have the time to share your experiences and feedback – whether or not you plan on volunteering in the future – it would be wonderful to hear from you and get to say hi and thank you.

@datafruits @onapoli @KallieMarie @CPacaud @richjensen @melis_tailored @sganesh @dogmaskmusic @terry @tamimulcahy @NachoB @nick_m @Trill51738 @sarinapl @Timothee @SolarDesalination @Aniela @MorAir @nphilmasiakowski @sganesh @chazzmatazz @aforeigncar.cabral @cosmichighness @abdulmhamid @Fabsozlo @zarahlii @agaitaarino @angus @verticaGG @DAD @boyhominid @d3cl4n @robertafidora @andrew.della @forrest.durell @guy @replygirl @kavan @mdax @winezell @zee @anamangot @agf @ntnsndr @boopboop @charlie_B @rorororo @bueillis @dfrelly @jackhajb @rsolva @djexcel @thewoods @morsifire @tagine @holobrine @orangefizz @fgblomqvist @suej @johannesbldn @merefield @marie @antoniokendraio @jeremy @alexcrane @gintoki @brr @deep_one_insaniam @elixlary @jpick @daligala @jowensster @will @topshelfrecords @ryanprior @fntm @maphr @zamomin @elektrik_in_der_luft @snuffles @primevaldad @tshiunghan @redhotcar @theargentgrub

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Hey! Thanks for the tag. Yes, I’m still definitely interested in volunteering but I haven’t been able to connect with an engineer since my last (first and only) post here. I figured my help wasn’t needed :slight_smile: Unfortunately I’ll be traveling on Labor Day weekend and won’t be able to attend, but would be happy to spend a few minute looking at the doc and sharing feedback, if you’d like.

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Hi, @tagine, it would be wonderful to hear your thoughts on the doc! Thanks :slight_smile:

It sounds like you’re looking to contribute on the developer side of things. We always need help in that area, and yours would be much appreciated! Since your last post, a lot of organization has been done. Some highlights:

  • Weekly dev meetups each Wednesday – you’re invited!
  • Setup of Mattermost, a chat space for work contributors to coordinate
  • Open sourcing of previously closed repos on Github
  • We’ve migrated off Wordpress, so contributing to the code is easier
  • A new tech documentation site
  • A public Product Backlog, so folks can see which dev work is being prioritized
  • Start of the Maintainer Collective, a group of devs here who can help you get involved

We’ll have more Kielest calls throughout the next few months. Hope to see you at the future ones. If you have any questions about dev stuff, tag @maintainers on any post and they’ll be able to say hi.

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This seems great!

I’ve been dreaming of meeting folx with some similar ideas. I’ve been slowly trying to start something I call Open for Product, where the general idea is a framework/platform that enables working together in sort of ad hoc agency groups for creative and professional work with equitable value management and distribution. I’m looking forward to learning from this group, and just working with others who work with clean collaboration processes.

I hope my contributions can be valuable too! Years in product design and product management as well as a comp sci background and a current career move into dev.

Anyway, for this specific meet up, I may have a change in plans for the 3rd, but I’ve made a selection for what currently works best for me.

Looking forward to meeting some of you, and learning more about this. Really appreciate the work that went into this so far! Wow!

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Hey @primevaldad glad to have ya here. Just checked out your profile – very cool to hear you were in Platform Coops Now at the New School in collaboration with start.coop and Mondragon University. I look forward to hearing about that!

If you can’t make it on the 3rd, there will be opportunities at the other sessions too so mark down the first and third Saturdays as a placeholder. Thanks for checking this out and sharing about your skills and interests.

Our hope is that with this framework, folks like yourself and @tagine will be able to easily find and jump into initiatives at Resonate, or even pilot your own projects so others can learn from you!

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Unfortunately most of my training and experience is in kanban, scrum, and agile. Not familiar with Kielest but curious what methodology or framework it most closely resembles.

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Kielest is a system we’re going to experience and put in place together to have a framework for the very peculiar organization of workers at Resonate and its specific dynamic so if you’re not familiar with it, it’s very normal! We’ll have sessions with @Hakanto and @ode12 (which I’m looking forward to myself!) where we collectively discuss it to make sure it works best for everyone, it makes sense for the coop, it’s aligned with our ideals, our manifesto, and it answers the difficulties we’ve met over the course of the last years (which are the reasons why, for example, you couldn’t find answers to your questions when you first came here in March !). I think quite a few people here are familiar with agile, scrum and other frameworks of that type so it’ll also be interesting to discuss how and why Kielest is different, and also if there are things you liked or disliked in your previous experiences using Kanban, Scrum, or Agile, it’d be great if you could share that with us as it’ll be helpful pointers as to what we can draw inspiration from and/or what would be good to change or approach differently.

For the specifics I’ll let @Hakanto answer obviously but I just wanted to give you a bit of context :slight_smile:

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Just read the doc. It looks good to me. I can’t commit to the meeting this Saturday, but if I’m available I’ll join.

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also as time and your capacity may just be super limited, async notes also are super important to this process, so if you feel like you can just share some sentences in regards to meeting notes please feel free!

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It’s very true, it’s actually essential to precise that anyone should be welcome to share opinions here if they can’t attend the sessions, but still want to help / participate and either have questions or things they want to share about their own experience (here or elsewhere), we can’t except everyone to be available for those meetings and we still have to take into account the opinions of those who can’t be there.

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I have read through the proposal a few times, but I’m holding off from commenting until after the first session, where I hope to get a better sense of it.

One thing I will say is I’m really happy to see micro-solidarity as part of the framework. Trust scales much slower than organizational capacity so it’s good to have ways of organizing that are reflective of that.

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Hi folks! Based on the responses to the poll, the time which works for the largest number of people is 2022-09-03T14:00:00Z

Please RSVP above at the original post. The link to the call can be found there.

Inspired that y’all have been checking out the proposal! Looking forward to seeing you this Saturday. Here’s my thoughts for how we can spend the time together. Does this look good to you?

draft agenda

Introduction until 0:05

  • Welcome folks; share agenda
  • Vibes check-in: how is everyone feeling today

Kielest overview until 0:10

  • Brief slideshow of key ideas with diagrams

Breakout convos into small groups until 0:20

  • Prompt: What are some negative patterns you’ve noticed in regards to work and volunteering at Resonate?

Breakout sharing until 0:30

  • Each group shares patterns they identified; these are written down

Consent to design premises until 0:55

  • Go through each design premise from the Appendix of the proposal; check for clarifications and objections. During this time, folks are encouraged to speak up if they feel a premise would fix one of the negative patterns identified.

Closing comment round until 0:60

  • then Folks are invited to casual Topia space for further conversation/hangout

@brndnkng @ode12 @tshiunghan @LLK @psi @piper @theargentgrub @primevaldad @remst8 @jeremy @workers @directors

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Hi y’all! The room is open so come on in :slight_smile:

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We’re gathering now on Topia for the afterparty/picnic/hangout.

On Topia, you can wander around to chat with folks in a little cute world. Click to move around, or use the arrow keys.

Headphones are recommended.

If you zoom out on your browser settings it can make it easier to navigate.

See y’all here!

[call now over]

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Hi Everyone, feel free to check out the notes from today’s meetings!

Ill also copy and paste the notes below: once we have the recording we will add it here too! Please feel free to engage with the notes, add your own commentary, and stay tuned for the agenda development for our next meeting September 17th

Thank you all again.

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Started meeting about :08 minutes after the hour- started with introductions, general comments and place/space proclamations. Meeting will go 20 minutes over the hour. For recording, disregard timemarks from these notes as start and stop time were extended.

Notes from Cryptpad

Introduction until 0:05

  • Welcome folks; share agenda
  • Vibes check-in: how is everyone feeling today, location

Kielest overview until 0:10

  • Brief slideshow of key ideas with diagrams
  • Notes from Hakanto as to the ‘why’ for Kielest motivated from his personal experiences at Resonate.
    • Important slide to highlight- tasks, responsiblities, job roles that went beyond or above or tangental to his designated role at Resonate
    • This leads us to ‘undefined roles’- organizing inbox can become - access to tools, additional work, siloed knowledge, informal and at times unchecked ‘power’ from meeting needs without boundaries. Pros and Cons: there is space to take creative control, and get right in, cons: overwhelming, and can overextend someone as they feel burdened to meet needs/desires of folks who may be disconnected from how to do the work, or what work to actually do.
    • Mutation patterns- routes, pathways undefined, and leans on what is conceptualized as channel with authority or rally with community that could lead to shifting or resolving a conflict, however, this centers ‘pattern and knowledge around privileged people’ moreso meaning people with access, or insider knowledge.
    • Hero- those who find or have the capacity to go beyond their designated role to ‘fix’ pressing issues. Well intentioned people who take oversized amount of communities needs- community in turn becomes dependent on their ability. Power becomes centered around this particular individuals access and desires toward assisting with these problems.
    • Hero becomes Martyr if the work becomes burdensome. Important to note, burnout happens, without archive of what exactly happened, or why- usually due to invisibility of work. Martyr goes and knowledge- including institutional history is gone. Negative experience with Resonate and at large co-ops in general is purported.
    • Break the cycle- these ways of doing work- practice of working together, can limit how the culture of Resonate forms. This culture pushes folks away and the continued practice is indebted to other historical forms of structural subjugation due to power and access.
    • Key problem- how do we formalize roles, organize tasks, and make work at Resonate equitable- where folks have agency within accountability and responsibility.
    • Organizational definition of roles is imperative from worker member group to executive etc.
    • Creating a framework to work from can open up better alternatives

Breakout convos into small groups

  • Prompt: What are some negative patterns you’ve noticed in regards to work and volunteering at Resonate?
    • Breakout group of 4 within the group: will share key sentiments below:

Breakout sharing (10 min turn around)

  • Each group shared patterns they identified; these are written down
    • H/L: mentioned onboarding- specifically about how new members are onboarded. Looking at introductions thread, folks give very indepth descriptions about their politics, thoughts on music industry, yet that isnt transitioned into what type of work can be done- easier for ‘developer’. Question the ways folks are engaged, and how their interests are channeled into how Resonate works.
    • R- excited about the result of this process- questions about how people work and what they need to do. Additional notes in analysis- w/patterns, position is key in view of how these relationships take shape- and wants to place emphasis on complexity. Direct notes from R- Lack of transparent pathways to engagement.
      Lack of articulation of the path to building a DSP (Digital Streaming Provider).
      Lack of serviceable support for the needs of professional independent artists and rights-holders.
      Lack of facilitation of spaces that are welcoming to, empowering for and determined by historically oppressed and marginalized communities.
    • R- class of artists is also necessary to be activated toward development at Resonate. Also seeing the manfesto is imperative in the operation of Kielest.
    • b- looking for the infrastructure thatll sustain ‘community of care’ as the work is being developed. kielest looking promising toward this endeavor
    • D- interests, desires, contributions of musicians and workers, in sync with the development of resonate works to be the polemic. How to combat feeling ‘overwhelemed’ when being introduced to Resonate and assisting with its needs. Also around capacity and work that is valued, making sure all contributors are able to contribute as they desire at scale.

Consent to design premises until 0:55

Closing comment round until 0:60

  • then Folks are invited to casual Topia space for further conversation/hangout. Link will be shared in the forum.

  • encourage folks to read the proposal as future meetings

Notes from Meet.Coop

Overarching principles:

collaboration framework

power dynamics

care and work

Introduction w/ Hakanto

  • Direct experience

    • Undefined roles => Mutate

      • Responsibilities

      • Access to tools

    • Mutation pattern

      • Privileged peep
    • Hero pattern

    • The Martyr pattern (cycle?)

      • Capacity

      • Creation myth

      • Burn out => begins anew

      • Hero-martyr cycle?

  • Framework

    • formalizing roles

    • establishing worker-member

    • Worker-members = developers?

  • Kielest

    • Other techniques can plug into it
    • KEE-ell-est
    • Initiatives

Overall explaination of Kielest roles, key ideas shared from breakout rooms:

Goal/ Initiative ends when team reaches goal/ Pilot/ Steward/ Team chooses/ Worker/Constructing power dynamics/Arbitrariness/Pilot collective/ Not a decision-making body/ Study group/ Mutual support/Clarify goals/Executive goal/Steward collective/Compassion/Celebration/ Decision making skills/ Modeling care/ Conflict resolution/ Worker collective/ Speed of community/ Other patterns (+ve/-ve)

Post-Intro Silence: people present themselves thoroughly in intros topic and then they fall off | Identifying skills other than dev skills may take more conversations, time and attention

Rich/ Holding vision/ Levels of complexity

Manifesto

  • Ratified Dec
  • Inclusivity =/= Afterthough

Rich notes

  • Lack of transparent pathways to engagement.
  • Lack of articulation of the path to building a DSP (Digital Streaming Provider).
  • Lack of serviceable support for the needs of professional independent artists and rights-holders.
  • Lack of facilitation of spaces that are welcoming to, empowering for and determined by historically oppressed and marginalized communities.

brandon

  • Burnout
  • Slow down
  • Folks fulfilling community/tech needs but not their own needs

Daniel

  • activating contribution
  • lacking time to share stories

Community drop-in?

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I was not able to attend. By chance were the sessions recorded? I am very interested in building governance (preferably minimum viable governance) for product/service development and operations.


[Edit]
I dug deeper and found the video here: https://bbb.de.meet.coop/presentation/87e60f53e637a1b32b8c4f6237a35de917f0334c-1662211132607/meeting.mp4

Cheers and thank you so much to all involved!

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