Work. Shouldn't. Suck. (12/22/20)
Providing resources, research, and reflections on human-centered organizational design for thriving workplaces. From the people at WorkShouldntSuck.co // This edition by Tim Cynova.
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Appreciating Transitions
With another year coming to a close, I’ve been meditating on what are sometimes described as the 3 Characteristics of Experience and Life. They include:
Change. Misperception is that we take things that are impermanent to be permanent.
Unreliability. We take things that are unstable to be reliable; and take things that are stressful not to be stressful. And,
Lack of solid controlling self entity. We misperceive that there is some solid enduring “me” that all of experience is happening to.
As someone who spends his days focused on human-centered organizational design — how can [this thing or idea] better inform my work — I’ve been thinking a lot about how these characteristics show up in our organizations in moments of uncertainty and transition. I dare say most of us experienced our fair share of these moments during the past 12 months. The things we counted on — and thought to be — permanent and reliable and maybe known stressors if not entirely stress-free, proved in many cases to be quite unreliable, a great deal more stressful, and not at all that permanent. The related question I’ve been sitting with in recent days is: How might understanding these characteristics help us acknowledge and better appreciate the transitions we’ve all been through? And I’ll just park this here for you to consider in a sort of cliffhanger prompt.
What’s new in my queue
For the past three years, I’ve had the honor of serving on the faculty of the Cultural Leadership Program of Canada’s Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity. Last week, during a gathering with some of my brilliant colleagues from that program, we shared what we were reading and recommending these days. No surprise, I walked away with an exciting list of books, articles, and podcasts. Here are a few of the new things in my queue:
All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Katharine K. Wilkinson
Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Survival by Gordon MacKenzie
Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code by Ruha Benjamin
Team Human by Douglas Rushkoff
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (in particular the audio version)
Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories From The Transformative Justice Movement edited by Ejeris Dixon & Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor by Virginia Eubanks
Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff & Mark Johnson
The Essentials of Theory U: Core Principles and Applications by Otto Scharmer
Restorying Indigenous Leadership: Wise Practices in Community Development edited by Cora Voyageur, Laura Brearley, & Brian Calliou
Until We Are Free: Reflections On Black Lives Matter in Canada edited by Rodney Diverlus, Sandy Hudson, & Syrus Marcus Ware
Octavia’s Parables podcast hosted by Toshi Reagon & adrienne maree brown
University of Alberta’s Indigenous Canada course
What I’ve been wondering
Recently I’ve been wondering a lot about alternative and equitable compensation models and structures. These wonderings have stemmed from having a number of conversations with colleagues where we’re rolling around questions like: What process would you use to transition an organization to a strict, fixed tier compensation structure where everyone at a given tier is paid *exactly* the same regardless of tenure? What if everyone was paid *daily* regardless of their exempt or non-exempt classification? How would compensation work if you removed organizational hierarchy and completely flattened an organization? What would it look like to move an organization from a more or less “traditional” pay structure to one where everyone decided how to divvy up the compensation pool and/or even set their own salary?
Along the way I’ve revisited PayActiv, a fintech company that facilitates daily compensation payments. I’ve explored the great resources produced by the co-op AORTA (Anti-Oppression Resource & Training Alliance) including their Thriving Pay and Dependent Care Grants Policy. Re-read my coworker Nina Berman’s piece, “Pay Transparency is Anti-Racist.” Spent time on SHRM’s website and read their “Managing Pay Equity” piece. And I’ve reviewed the Compensation & Incentives section of the wiki for the classic book Reinventing Organizations. What other resources should I check out?
Puppy pic, you know, just because.
Thanks for coming along on this adventure! Discover more about organizational journeys in anti-racism, shared leadership models, and entirely virtual workplaces on Work. Shouldn't. Suck.