Measure twice, cut once. -- Anon. carpenter's proverb.
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Alwaies measure manie, before you cut anie. -- John Florio, Second Frutes 1591. Qtd. in www.bookbrowse.com
As we plan what's going to go into Bulldog Bytes, I want us to pay careful attention to the steps we follow in planning. We could slap together a publication in less than half the time we're going to spend in COMM 353, and it wouldn't look bad. I have a lot of confidence in the skills and attitudes you bring to the class as upper-division students in Comm Arts and Writing and Publishing. But I also want you to learn something you didn't know before you signed up for the course.
Or at least put what you did know together in new ways. That's the point of all the self-reflective writing we're going to do as the semester goes on.
So as we plan the issue, let's pay attention to process.
Edge Leadership Consulting, LLC of Portland, Ore., has a good summary of different Decision-Making Styles on its website. I strongly recommend we deliberately use a combination of the consensus and delegation models.
Here's why. We're professionals. (Have I treated you yet to my speech that you are already media professionals if you're majoring in Comm Arts or Writing and Publishing? You are.) "[We] want high quality input and commitment, with follow-through, from a group," to quote Edge Leadership LLC, and we can get that level of quality.
Also, we'll learn some management skills while we're at it.
Editing is a management function. You've heard me say that before, and you'll hear it again. Here's something one of my J-school professors at Penn State told me when I was complaining about my newsroom management course, "we're not preparing you for your next job, we're preparing you for what you've going to do three or four jobs down the road when you're breaking into middle management." And in the communications industry, editing is typically the entry-level management position.
Even if you don't break into management, you'll probably be doing side projects where you're calling the shots. Even as a free-lancer, you're part of an editorial team. (You're been reading Carol Saller on that issue, right?) It's a lot like herding cats, and you'll be herding cats -- one way or another -- the rest of your professional life.
Which leads me to another point: We're on the creative side of mass communications. That's true whether our ultimate genre is poetry, advertising layout or television news. According to a Newsroom Management "toolkit" published by the European Broadcasting Union, "Journalism means teamwork. Always begin with an editorial meeting, always review scripts for accuracy before they are broadcast, and end by reviewing what went right, and wrong with the day." And this: "Internal communication has to be multi-faceted to be effective. Oral communication (or email) alone does not work. Reinforce all communication verbally, and leave a written trace (bulletin board, internal memo, electronic database, etc.) ... Intelligence, good will and teamwork are more decisive than equipment and money." There's more, and it's all good.
A very different kind of explanation of the consensus model comes from ACT UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, a gay-lesbian-transgender advocacy group that has more of a reputation for civil disobedience than management style. But it's very sound. Here's what the New York chapter of ACT UP says about the consensus model:
What does consensus mean?IN CLASS TODAY: Please read the three documents linked above and decide what, if anything, in them might apply to: (1) Our group project of editing and producing a magazine project; and/or (2) editorial or other creative projects you might undertake in the future. They might be as ambitious as a university press anthology (say for Carol Saller and the University of Chicago) or as down-home as a three-fold brochure for a local retailer. Post your thoughts as comments to this blog post.
Consensus does not mean that everyone thinks that the decision made is necessarily the best one possible, or even that they are sure it will work. What it does mean is that in coming to that decision, no one felt that her/his position on the matter was misunderstood or that it wasn't given a proper hearing. Hopefully, everyone will think it is the best decision; this often happens because, when it works, collective intelligence does come up with better solutions than could individuals.
Consensus takes more time and member skill, but uses lots of resources before a decision is made, creates commitment to the decision and often facilitates creative decision. It gives everyone some experience with new processes of interaction and conflict resolution, which is basic but important skill-building. For consensus to be a positive experience, it is best if the group has 1) common values, 2) some skill in group process and conflict resolution, or a commitment to let these be facilitated, 3) commitment and responsibility to the group by its members and 4) sufficient time for everyone to participate in the process.
Forming the consensus proposals
During discussion a proposal for resolution is put forward. It is amended and modified through more discussion, or withdrawn if it seems to be a dead end. During this discussion period it is important to articulate differences clearly. It is the responsibility of those who are having trouble with a proposal to put forth alternative suggestions.
The fundamental right of consensus is for all people to be able to express themselves in their own words and of their own will. The fundamental responsibility of consensus is to assure others of their right to speak and be heard. Coercion and trade-offs are replaced with creative alternatives, and compromise with synthesis.
When a proposal seems to be well understood by everyone, and there are no new changes asked for, the facilitator(s) can ask if there are any objections or reservations to it. If there are no objections, there can be a call for consensus. If there are still no objections, then after a moment of silence you have your decision. Once consensus does appear to have been reached, it really helps to have someone repeat the decision to the group so everyone is clear on what has been decided.
4 comments:
If we are indeed serious about this magazine, and I think we all are, then we have to get our minds out of being a "cat." We need to stop thinking of only the things that interest ourselves and only doing something on our own time. The "real world" will not look kindly on a free spirit, although most college professors don't like that either.
We need to work as a team and plan as a team, and not just on this project. I confess, typically speaking, I don't like working with other people. I find it to be a chore. However, I will do it if I need to and cease complaints until after the project is done. I can't work as a cat or a free spirit, not when I have to use teamwork! I believe that goes for everyone else. I'm not sure if anyone else needed that reminder, but I certainly did!
I want to start by saying that I think the Kittywood series is hilarious. I think they have the right idea when it comes to creating a finished product. We need to see the magazine through the eyes of our audience. We need to plan carefully and stick to a schedule. The success of our magazine relies solely on the dedication of our team.
It takes quite a bit of wiggling in thematically linking AIDS to editing our student magazine (or "zine" as I believe we are all inclined to call it). It is not the subject, however, that sparks interest or holds (any) relevance to this class. The idea of decision making vis-à-vis a committee, however, is applicable and one that reserves the right of rumination.
A committee comes to a consensus. This is great for maintaining worker relations yet it has a significant drawback: committees take a long freaking time in making a decision. Voting, at least, allows every voice to count, and makes things simple (not to mention quicker).
Yet much can come from communication. Ideas evolve in expression, and committees (usually) allow for it.
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