Kiwi CED
Intro
Players
Image | Description | |
---|---|---|
Anti-tech Arnie | Fax machines are the height of human achievement | |
Bureaucrat Bev | Everything by the book, for the organization! | |
Busy Betty Bee | Everywhere, doing everything with no time to spare. | |
Innovator Irene | We can solve this problem with a few simple technological conventions | |
Iron-fisted RARRRR Thor | It's simple. My way or the highway! | |
Mélanie Hughes | ||
Whiny Negate No No Nancy | Whiny Negate No No |
Our group, WikiCED is pleased to demonstrate what it might look like for an individual who wants to introduce or create change in an organization. Today our group will use technology as the vehicle to demonstrate challenges and opportunities around introducing change. Many people dream about being a change hero, making one suggestion – like Rosa Parks, an African American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress later called "Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement did in 1955 when she refused to obey a bus driver's orders. Suddenly we have a successful transformation that everyone recognizes.
- Philip will start with a brief history of change and resistance
- Then our group has prepared a special presentation for you
- We will follow this with a participatory learning session which will include you co-developing and contributing to WikiCED, an on-line manual that covers each of the areas we will talk about today along with links to many other resources.
And to start us off ... here is Philip with a brief history
About
Developer: WikiCED group; Presenter: Katherine; Minutes: 5; Position: 1
CHANGE IN THE NORTHEAST WOODLANDS
A STONE-AGE PERSPECTIVE
RATINONSIÓN:NI
We used to cut trees
And build long houses
With stone axes
AHSERÓN:NI (1608)
The French man came
And the Dutch
Axes of iron
TAIETEWATATENONHWERÁ:TON
We greet one another
Every day
We are joyful
SAIONWISAKÉ:RON
It was an ice age
The land was covered
We waited
WÁHTA NIIOHSANÓ:TEN
The trees returned
It was a maple
The first one
TSI KARHAHRÓNNIONKE
In the forest
We hunted
The wild animals
TIONHNHÉHKWA
Our three sisters
They came
We planted
SAIOHONSÁ:SEKE
The earth is new again
When corn is grown
Society is reformed
IAH TE KARIHWÍ:IO
Plow with iron
Women are oppressed
We use hoes
NIAGA:RA (1812)
Queenston Heights
Brock dies
The battle is lost
TEYONINHOKARÁ:WEN (1812)
50 Mohawk rifles against
2000 American muskets
Canada saved
LITTLE BIG HORN (1876)
Sioux with 16-shot Winchesters
7th cavalry with single shot Springfields
Resistance to change
CANASSATEGO (1744)
Treaty of Lancaster, Virginia
Our schools do not harm us
Yours do. We decline.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (1744)
To the Gentlemen of Virginia
We offer our schools
Step-by-Step
About
Scene 1
- experimenting process, engaging around change
Players
Image | Description | |
---|---|---|
Anti-tech Arnie | Fax machines are the height of human achievement | |
Bureaucrat Bev | Everything by the book, for the organization! | |
Busy Betty Bee | Everywhere, doing everything with no time to spare. | |
Innovator Irene | We can solve this problem with a few simple technological conventions | |
Iron-fisted RARRRR Thor | It's simple. My way or the highway! | |
Mélanie Hughes | ||
Whiny Negate No No Nancy | Whiny Negate No No |
The setting is based on our SCPA CED classroom and work settings. The scenarios are inspired by the enthusiasm and resistance to change.
Pre pre pre kiwi party
All characters during Scene 1 are in front of the classroom, leaning on the front table, reading a book and standing around. We will read our lines of Scene 1 from our printed scripts that David will photocopy for each of us.
Bee: I’m not so crazy about this kiwi idea. I already spend too much time in front of my computer. I am really not so sure…
Nancy: I hate computers....whine whine whine
Irene: It's software based on the Web, you have to learn a few conventions, but it helps you solve a lot of different problems as a group and when including the public.
Janet + friends sings Rocky horror Let's do the time wharp again and Janet yells out months later.
Pre pre kiwi party
Arnie: Y'know, this technology thing sounds great, but the last time I tried to use a computer, it burned my toast badly.
Bev: I am DEFINITELY really interested because we could participate remotely in meetings in the evening and on weekends and holidays, also on lunch breaks and while showering, with the right equipment.
Nancy: Bev that is easy for you to say whine whine whine (Katherine improvises)
Janet + friends sings time wharp song and moves and Janet yells out years later.
Pre kiwi party
Irene: That's not exactly what kiwi is about.. It's software based on the Web, you have to learn a few conventions... How about I have a kiwi party to try to make this all clear?
Thor: Excellent, more control means greater efficiency.
Bee: Sure, but I'm only free Tuesdays between 5 and 5:30 in the morning.
Janet + friends sings time wharp song while someone yells out months months months later.
Post kiwi party
Bee: Hey Thor, How was the kiwi party?
Thor: I didn't go.. if we're going to use computers, we should all be assigned one and given training and enforcement until we do things the proper way.
RARRRR!!!!!!!!!...I already told everyone. My way or the highway. It is easy.
Arnie: Maybe we should start with the basics.. I heard we can use computers to send faxes.
Thor: They should be sent to a reeducation class until they do things the proper way, be fired or quit. It's simple.
Irene: It helps solve a lot of different problems as a group and when including the public.
Bee: It sounds like it might be helpful for our affinity group, and really help my community organizing.
Nancy: yah but Bee, the affinity group, community organizing...it is too much....whine whine whine...
Irene: You have to include those people using different means, not just the kiwi.
Thor: They can be reeducated.
Arnie: Couldn't we do all this with the fax machine?
Bev: Yes, we definitely should do it. Bureaucrat Today says everyone else is doing it (holds up a copy of Bureaucrat Today with a caption "Kiwis: Everyone else is doing it.")
About
Developer: Janet; Presenter: WikiCED group; Minutes: 5; Position: 3
Scene 2: Puzzles
Image | Characteristics | |
---|---|---|
Anti-tech Arnie |
| |
Bureaucrat Bev |
| |
Busy Betty Bee |
| |
Innovator Irene |
| |
Iron-fisted RARRRR Thor |
| |
Mélanie Hughes | ||
Whiny Negate No No Nancy |
|
Background
This is a set change. We will quickly add a table & chairs and sit around the table to re-establish a new setting. The boardroom scene:
Bev: Hi everyone, I'm glad you could all make it today. It's been a few years since we started talking about kiwis and, as you know, one of our own people has been persistent following up with the notion of using kiwi to enhance our work. Today, Irene will help us to set up this internet tool for our specific needs. - Irene.
Irene: Hi all - I'm sure you've e heard me say this before that Kiwi is software based on the Web. Remember all you have to learn is a few conventions but kiwi helps to solve a lot of different problems as a group especially when including the public like our work here does. Here, I'll demonstrate. Let's go around the table and you can each let me know what will be useful for your needs. And we'll be able to work something out (as she is talking she is takes the box full of puzzle pieces and spills them onto the middle of the table)
Bev: Oh - I'll start - I need a place to share documents with everyone. Excuse me I need to go to another meeting. (Gets up, picks out a puzzle piece from table and places it in Irene's lap)
Bee: I need to organize meetings for the group. Sorry, I must run to an appointment! (Gets up, picks out a puzzle piece from table and places it in Irene's lap)
Arnie: I would like to be able to easily fax these "kiwi web sites" around the world. In colour. (Gets up, picks out a puzzle piece from table and places it in Irene's lap)
Thor: I want to organize a Reeducation Party! Nobody can be late. (Gets up, picks out a puzzle piece from table and places it in Irene's lap)
Nancy: I want the kiwi to look exactly like my Nintendo. (Gets up, picks out a puzzle piece from table and places it in the lap of Irene)
Irene: (While pointing to puzzle pieces remaining on middle of table) Wait! I still have more questions. (Shaking head, puts head in hands. Then takes all pieces from lap, puts them on table, gets out duct tape, and begins to put something together).
Developer: Cleo; Presenter: WikiCED group; Minutes: 5; Position: 4
Scene 3
- Lessons learned - concretely relate the findings in our research and real-life projects to the skits.
Epilogue
Image | Destiny | |
---|---|---|
Anti-tech Arnie | The leader of the underground organization SQUASH where members are committed to maintaining communication by fax. Of course this will prove an enormous challenge for the group since fax paper is no longer being produced. Anti-tech Arnie continues to eat burnt toast for breakfast. | |
Bureaucrat Bev | Went on to create the Bureaucratic Center for Centering Bureaucracy, which increased efficiency by allowing them to organize and access information with themselves and the public, making everyone in the world a bureaucrat. | |
Busy Betty Bee | Eagerly promoted the use of kiwis through her continued involvement in the CED affinity group and her community organizing. Eventually Busy Betty Bee helped to create other affinity groups both within the CED program at Concordia University as well as within the broader population. Busy Betty Bee hopes to create international affinity groups. She helped to edit Innovator Irene’s book on kiwis, she consults for Bureaucratic Bev’s agency, she also writes funding proposals for the Blue-Chip Program and she visits Whiny Negate No No Nancy every Tuesday morning between 5 and 5:30. | |
Innovator Irene | Went on to invent more conventions for kiwis and founded an organization that trains thousands on the proper use of kiwi conventions. Her success led to a number 1 best seller “Kiwi and Community Organizing” that was featured on the Oprah show. | |
Iron-fisted RARRRR Thor | Developed REBOOT a boot-camp style initiative funded by the federal government whose aim is to re-educate the general population to the effective means of organizing, data-collection, and information sharing. Iron-fisted Thor obtained special funding that is currently piloting a Blue-Chip Insertion program aimed at ensuring that people do things “his way or the highway!” | |
Mélanie Hughes | ||
Whiny Negate No No Nancy | Had a difficult time understanding the change in her CED classmates. She cried herself to sleep every night for six months until she finally sought help. She was hospitalized in a private hospital where she received experimental treatment through the Blue-Chip Insertion Program. |
Lessons Learned
Katherine takes over the set and begins while Janet continues to figure out the puzzle pieces.
What you’ve just seen is a demonstration of the challenges that individuals can face when trying to introduce change. We've used kiwi (aka: Wiki), as the vehicle to show that organizational culture, behavior, or mindset (perceptions) are each part of the process that require an individual consider when introducing change.
While we've used humor as an approach to introducing change, there are a multitude of other tools that can be applied such as Appreciative Inquiry, workshops, story-telling, manuals, technology, etc. Engaging people through a variety of methods creates value and is an important precursor that can lead to "buy-in", and adaption to and adoption of change.
We've put together a manual - available on wiki - that shares what we've learned about change and being a change agent.
The most important thing to remember though is that there are no simple recipes for change!
About
Developer: Katherine; Presenter: WikiCED group; Minutes: 5; Position: 5
Participatory Learning
Janet
How can an individual bring change to her organization?
Appreciative Inquiry, would use the power of stories to provoke change.
Research into AI has indicated that the process works best when the use of stories generates the following two outcomes.
- New knowledge is created [two places on the greenboard]
- A generative metaphor emerges
The following principles guide the story-telling process:
- The constructionist principle:..Organizations are socially co-constructed realities; therefore, articulate desirable collective futures.
"The people in our organization are of one mind. We work together to introduce any change that enables us to better accomplish our goals.
Marie-Christine
- The poetic principle:.............We create our organization in our daily stories; therefore, use words that energize and inspire people.
"We have moved great mountains. We can put an entirely new sun in the sky."
- The anticipatory principle:.....The collective image of the future guides us; therefore, artfully create positive images.
"Our goal in five years: 'We are the world's leaders in innovative use of technology in support of social goals.'"
Cleo
- The positive principle:...........Craft the unconditional positive question to generate momentum and sustainable change.
"We have all experienced times when change produced positive outcomes welcomed by all. Think of such an experience in which you were personally energized by what was going one. Tell us what happened. What was it like? What part did you play?"
- The principle of simultaneity:..The first question is fateful; change begins the second the system begins to engage in inquiry.
"We have all experienced times when an individual brought empowering change perhaps to our organization, to our class, to our family or to some other system that surrounded us. Remembering such a time, your peak experience, when you were personally involved, when you or someone else brought life-giving change to your collectivity, tell the story of what happened. What were the circumstances surrounding this event. Where and when did this take place? Who was involved? What role did you play? What role did others play?"
Philip
Cleo has just stated the first fateful question of an Appreciative Inquiry. We need everyone's help to complete our quest for new knowledge. Everyone has a role to play. We need one person to enter the fish-bowl and tell their peak-experience story. They should sit in this chair. Eveyone else will sit around the story-teller, whether on the floor or on chairs. [Wait for someone to come forward, otherwise volunteer one of our group].
Onen kati katiohkhwa: Now that we have gathered together as a group. Sewatahontsi:iost ken'nikarihwesen: Listen carefully to this small matter.
We give a greetings and acknowledgement to this story-teller by listening carefully, with every fibre of our body to the story that is about to be told, noticing not only the words, but the silences, the tone of voice, the facial expressions, the body language.
When the story is concluded, we will ask that anyone that experienced an "aha" moment, no matter how big or small, tells us about that moment. Catherine and Cleo will record these on the greenboard. Out of this new knowledge, a generative metaphor will be constructed.
Do we all agree that this is the way our minds should be?
[AI Story-telling AI protocol]:
"We have all experienced times when an individual brought empowering change perhaps to our organization, to our class, to our family or to some other system that surrounded us. Remembering such a time, your peak experience, when you were personally involved, when you or someone else brought life-giving change to your collectivity, tell the story of what happened. What were the circumstances surrounding this event. Where and when did this take place? Who was involved? What role did you play? What role did others play?"
[Supplementary questions as might be required]
"What led up to this event?"
"How were you personally affected?"
"Having lived through this experience, is there anything you would do different if you had to repeat this experience?"
"Is there anything else you wanted to add?"
Q&A / Summary
About
Developer: Philip; Presenter: WikiCED group; Minutes: 30; Position: 6