Thought for Friday: A Version of Ourselves

Here’s an article by Dr Papaarangi Reid (Te Rarawa) called “When our excellence constrains their privilege” https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/when-our-excellence-constrains-their-privilege (5 minute read) [E-TANGATA, 20-Sep-2020]

In the article Dr Reid explores the complexity / failures of meritocracy and how balance is imperfect in a system with many competing measures. She notes that current and forecast demographic representation as a core attribute for selection into medical education is not a high priority. Her challenge is to step past meritocracy / excellence to select for our future demographic using social justice and ethics as additional key criteria.   

For us, this is part of building user stories, acceptance criteria, solving for the customer, developing personas and shaping squads.

Some things to consider

  • Considering what will be. Solve for now and into the future.

  • Reflecting the customer. Engage in concordance with each other.

  • Looking past our heads. To our hands and our hearts.

What is your squad considering? What are you engaging in? Where are you looking towards?

How does this thinking apply to you in your Tribe / Support Function? What are you reflecting on? What can you bank on happening in the future? Where are you aligned with your customer, where are you not aligned?

Why is this important? Good question. There is merit in creating metrics to measure things, be they: people, places, products or quantities. Where measurement decisions are taken without context, the richness of what we may need to solve for is lost. If we live by the numbers alone, who are we solving for? We end up solving for who we want to solve for, which is often a version of ourselves.

For further viewing / reading:

Inviting you to have a view / read and to have a chat with me about your thoughts.

[Originally posted internally in my role in IS Governance at The Warehouse Group.]