Things really are getting better

I have been thinking about how glacially s-l-o-w movement is in the areas of gender and minority group equity/equality, heritable barriers to accessing education, available role models, and education affordability. The gender pay gap in Aotearoa shows that women earn 12% less than men (Statistics New Zealand, 2021). The lack of parity is significantly pronounced when considering the pay gap in rugby: 2022's World Cup winning Black Ferns received a bonus payment each of $25,000, while the All-Blacks individual bonus in 2015 was $150,000 (Plummer, 2022). Just note that date for the AB's bonus: eight years ago. Ouch.

However, in thinking about the almost microscopic societal change, I was reminded of the work of Swedish population scientist, Hans Rosling (Rosling et al., 2018), who proposed ten counter-intuitive rules to combat our instinctive human negativity (Rosling, 2018), and the media effect (e.g. cultivation analysis theory; Gerbner, 1969). Those ten elements are:

1. The gap instinct. We need to understand that "when a story talks about a gap, and remembering that this paints a picture of two separate groups, with a gap in between. The reality is often not polarized at all. Usually the majority is right there in the middle, where the gap is supposed to be. To control the gap instinct, look for the majority" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 45).
2. The negativity instinct. We must know in our hearts that, "when we get negative news, [remember that news about] bad events is much more likely to reach us. When things are getting better we often don’t hear about them. This gives us a systematically too-negative impression of the world around us, which is very stressful. To control the negativity instinct, expect bad news" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 69).
3. The straight line instinct. Ah this one is SOOO tricky. We must overcome "the assumption that a line will just continue straight, [just remember] that such lines are rare in reality. To control the straight line instinct, remember that curves come in different shapes" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 93).
4. The fear instinct. We are so good at running away. All we need do is remember that "when frightening things get our attention, [recall] that these are not necessarily the most risky. Our natural fears of violence, captivity, and contamination make us systematically overestimate these risks. To control the fear instinct, calculate the risks" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 111).
5. The size instinct. Oh yeah. Remember "when a lonely number seems impressive (small or large), [...] that you could get the opposite impression if it were compared with or divided by some other relevant number. To control the size instinct, get things in proportion" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 127).
6. The generalisation instinct. This is the 'assume' thing: just because a "category is being used in an explanation, [remember] that categories can be misleading. We can’t stop generalization and we shouldn’t even try. What we should try to do is to avoid generalizing incorrectly. To control the generalization instinct, question your categories" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 145-6).
7. The destiny instinct. Change is glacial, but "appear to be constant just because the change is happening slowly, [so remember] that even small, slow changes gradually add up to big changes. To control the destiny instinct, remember slow change is still change" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 161).
8. The single perspective instinct. Holding "a single perspective can limit your imagination, [so] it is better to look at problems from many angles to get a more accurate understanding and find practical solutions. To control the single perspective instinct, get a toolbox, not a hammer" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 175).
9. The blame instinct. We must recognise "when a scapegoat is being used and remember[...] that blaming an individual often steals the focus from other possible explanations and blocks our ability to prevent similar problems in the future. To control the blame instinct, resist finding a scapegoat" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 190).
10. The urgency instinct. Sometimes "a decision feels urgent and remembering that it rarely is [urgent]. To control the urgency instinct, take small steps" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 206).

Hans was also immensely kind and allows people to download a pdf of his book, free, at https://oceanofpdf.com/authors/hans-rosling/pdf-epub-factfulness-ten-reasons-were-wrong-about-the-world-and-why-things-are-better-than-you-think-download-28372752321/

Sam

References:

Gerbner, G. (1969). Toward ‘Cultural Indicators’: The Analysis of Mass Mediated Public Message Systems. AV Communication Review, 17(2), 137-148. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02769102

Plummer, B. (2022, November 18). Black Ferns players to receive $25,000 bonus after Rugby World Cup win. New Zealand Herald. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/black-ferns-players-to-receive-25000-bonus-after-rugby-world-cup-win/3QR4MDWO2BBW3EQC3PJXIVM76M/

Rosling, H., with Rosling, O. & Rosling Ronnlund, A. (2018). Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think. Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.

Statistics New Zealand. (2021). Measuring the gender pay gap. https://www.stats.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Methods/Measuring-the-gender-pay-gap/measuring-gender-pay-gap-corrected.pdf

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The thorny problem of Word marking sheets

In a previous shared office a colleague always looked for the EASIEST way to do things. He had a very disruptive and creative approach to simplification, one that really provoked thought. We often discussed marking: specifically how the grunt work could be taken out of it while ensuring we provided clear feedback to students on what could be done to improve future work (see my post here).

With my colleague's constant tinkering and prodding, I too was always considering 'better ways'. In those days we marked using Word rubrics, which - taken together - were (a) vague and (b) dangerous and (c) could lack consistent interpretation. Let's take the 'vague' part first.

Vague is what I see, particularly when we consider a rubric approach. What exactly does the following mean as a chunk for a presentation? 

A Grade

Presentation (20 marks). Verbal communication is clear, audible and highly effective. Seamless integration of visual aids/technology/ supporting materials. Ideas/opinions are conveyed fluently that intentionally stimulates critical discussion.

Of course, the B is also listed/specified. And the C. And D. The questions such a chunk as this inspires in me are:

• How much is each element/sentence worth? Are they all worth 6.66 marks each? Or are some worth more?
• Are there some elements which should have been listed, but haven't yet? What about the slide deck? What about pace? Volume? Length?
• Are a quarter of the marks in the last sentence for ideas, for opinions, for stimulating and for critical discussion? Or are there other characteristics for a good presentation? How much discussion can we really create in a presentation...? Should discussion appear instead in an - unspecified - Q&A session?
• Further, why would we then need to list what a B or a C or a D is? Doesn't it become obvious because we have listed the A, that the B, C, D, or E hasn't reached that standard? Aren't we wanting all students to aim for an A? Do we need to list what a D is - usually something pointless like "doesn't reach minimum standards" which surely is rather obvious?
• And why, oh why, did we end up having to write SO MANY similar comments in the comments space? Many are repeated student to student... so surely they should be in the rubric?

OK. So let's consider dangerous. Word is not really an 'adding up' tool. We tend to manually add our marking up, which leads to easy mistakes. We can get Word to add up for us using formulas, but the table addition functions are less than ideal. In my experience, this: often stops working; must be manually refreshed; and others don't 'see' the sums as a formula, so they overtype the totals even when they are working. Why use a tool so obviously unsuited?

After a lot of thought and office conversations, I felt that a master check list dashboard would be ideal. That I could be marking a piece of work, and tick a box to have a particular comment appear on a marking sheet: effectively pick something already written. I was sure that someone out there must have already created something. We could just enter our percentages and go. Well, no. I found nothing over a summer of seeking.

My next thought was that I could contract a computing major who knew Access really well, who could create a pick list for me, and we could go from there: I could have a few master tables, a pick list on a form, and create a customised report, student by student, without having to manually tailor the marking feedback. I could create a comments bank from my own marking to begin our master list of "what was good" and what "needs improvement". For two semesters I sought a student to work on this as their capstone 300 hour project. However, despite having written a clear brief and having good connections to the computer science team, I had no takers. And I didn't know enough MS Access to go solo.

Then the need suddenly became urgent. The issue of consistent interpretation arose. I was leading a team of up to ten research supervisors who were all marking on the same paper. Marking results were initially variable using a standard Word feedback sheet. One person's 'B' comments were another marker's 'A'. I really needed a more consistent method, because the inconsistency was immediately visible between students. They talked to each other about their marking. And I needed it now.

Expediency drove the choice. I decided to have a crack at creating something in Excel, which I knew well. Maybe I could make a huge list of what would have been my Access check list dashboard, and we could tick the level which students achieved. If I set it up with cell protection and the right formula it would avoid addition errors: Excel adds. And if I only listed "A" comments, but with a range of grades where markers only needed to put an "X" into the relevant box in the relevant grade column, it might simplify the process.

So I had a go. I sat down with some experienced markers, and we brainstormed the contents of our rubrics and marking splits. We broke down all the marks for each area into even chunks, and created a comment that could be marked. Because there were so many items that we were could select, additional comments were minimised. I set up the sheets, and we ran some trials. We marked students both ways on a small assessment to check that the Excel marking would work out the same way (it did). We tweaked some statements that didn't quite work. Then we showed the students both the marking sheets, and asked them which one they preferred. The preference for the Excel version was overwhelming. So we rolled it out.

Moving forward five years, and the benefits of using Excel are huge. It speeds up marking; it reduces time in writing comments; it is clearer as a guide to students; there are no addition errors; and it creates consistency across markers.

Interestingly, lecturers who haven't used it think on first look that it is too 'specific'; too confining. However, once they try it, they tend find it makes marking much easier, and faster.

I too find it easier. I tweak these marking sheets each semester, so the wording gets better, the formulae better, the streamlining better. View a presentation sample marking sheet (as per the illustration) here.

Sam

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Getting stuff done

It is too late when we come under pressure to spend time looking for ways to be better or faster at our work. The time to do that is when we have had a week or two of holiday, and can take the time to step back, and to think in reverse from the outcomes and consider new ways of getting there. There is always going to be more work than there are hours, so we need to be as smart as we can in getting it done.

Each summer I review my processes, and have a think about what I could do better. Through the year I am doing the same thing (I am an inveterate tinkerer), but I try to put off implementing things until I have time to think about the ramifications of the change. I have a review with my team, and see what is causing roadblocks for them.

1. The first thing to do is to prioritise: to determine the critical path. Be really clear with the team about this being THE MOST IMPORTANT THING to deliver on. Highlight to everyone the elements that must never be dropped. Develop a strategy so that when someone is in trouble, there is a clear process to ensure the critical path is met. Help everyone to understand that other stuff waits for these tasks to be done. Be clear about the standard of delivery. Be clear about the time. Show people what success looks like. Buddy new people up with experienced people. Write things down. Give people appointment deadlines in their calendars.
2. The second is to create a process to deal with the lesser priorities. Be really clear that these are second tier and only get started once the critical path stuff is complete. Be clear about the delivery standard. Provide examples. Write things down.
3. Use the team's expertise. Get people to contribute to a comments bank; to create and share templates, to contribute to a FAQ page, to make suggestions for the handbook. Automate, formularise, copy. Bank standard emails.
4. Create checklists to assist new people to understand the process, and to help experienced staff train the new people. Flowchart processes.
5. Meet regularly but keep shortening the meeting until you can't get the job done in the time. Don't set an hour if you can get it done in 45 minutes. Create action points, not minutes. Try having a walking meeting, or meet over Skype with a clear time limit and keep focused on getting the job done. Start by discussing future strategies, don't talk history. Spend 30 minutes on what is coming up, then 15 minutes on what we can learn from the last period.

Doing these things should help us all "get more done in less time" :-D


Sam

• Reference: Saunders, E. G. (7 January 2019). 5 Strategies for Getting More Work Done in Less Time. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2019/01/5-strategies-for-getting-more-work-done-in-less-time?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_campaign=weeklyhotlist_not_activesubs&referral=00202&deliveryName=DM23902

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The Truth about Resigning

Of late I have had several discussions about the reasons why staff move on, and it seems to me that there are two key barriers to communication around turnover: that most organisations and managers are in denial about the reasons staff resign; and most staff either are too afraid - or in some cases can't be arsed - to tell the truth about why they are leaving.

Of the two reasons I suggest above for why staff don't talk, I think fear of reputation damage is the main one. Confronting the issues which hold staff back will always be challenging, and when escaping the situation, why would staff create trouble for themselves by explaining? Managers often don't encourage safe and respectful dialogue: I have personally experienced two people being present in a recorded exit interview. Was I candid? Hell, no. I didn't want to limit my future prospects.

The main problem that needs to be faced is that staff usually leave a role because of their manager (Goler, Gale, Harrington & Grant, 23 January 2018). When staff are regularly turning over within a year, then it is even more likely that we are the problem. That is a hard thing to face: but it needs facing.

Sometimes our management styles are complicated by heavy workloads, unrealistic expectations, lack of job-fit, poor support from further up in the organisation, and a high employment rate (providing more choice with less effort), but pretty much we need to look in the mirror. It is not them, it is us.

Worse, when people leave, they don't tell us that it is we who are the problem. They say:

• "I have got a great new opportunity" (read "you gave me no opportunities");
• "I am going back to basics" (read "you loaded me up with so much crap I nearly had a breakdown");
• "I feel I will be able to contribute more in my new role" (read "you gave me no opportunity to make a decision or to affect an outcome");
• "I need work in my field" (read "you prevented me from using the skills you hired me for");
• "I was offered a job at..." (read "I have been job-hunting flat out for six months and finally got an offer");
• "My new role is better aligned with my skill set" (read "you lied in the job ad and misrepresented the role");
• "I feel I am not a good fit here" (read "you were such a micro-manager you wound me up in red tape and burnt me out");
• "I need to be more hands-on" (read "I had so much admin I was paralysed with boredom");

Any of us hearing these excuses from exiting staff need to assume that we were the problem. There are things we can do about this, but that will be a post for another day.


Sam

• Reference: Goler, L., Gale, J., Harrington, B. & Grant, A. (23 January 2018). The Real Reason People Quit Their Jobs. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/why-people-really-quit-their-jobs.aspx

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Using Kaizen to build habits

There is a piece of 1980s thinking that can really help us tackle difficult tasks. It works well when we are trying to build new habits, tackling work that we are finding it hard to start, minimises procrastination, and aids us with reflection. The thinking is Kaizen.

Kaizen is the brain child of Japanese management consultant, Masaaki Imai. Imai San is best known for his work in quality management and continuous improvement at Toyota, which is where Kaizen sprang from. Focusing on the incremental, deliberate building of habits led to him formalising his model, philosophy, systems and tools; founding the Kaizen Institute Consulting Group; writing two books; and spending a lifetime assisting organisations to use Kaizen. The term Kaizen in Japanese implies that continuous improvement will take time: that this is a slow build on the path to enlightenment.

The Kaizen philosophy can help us change our habits, using the tool, the one minute principle. What we do is to practice doing the task that we want to master at the same time every day. For just one minute, and no more. The idea is that by completing daily tiny steps, we will slowly move to mastery. Because taking one minute requires very little effort, it is not so difficult to do.

Each day's small victory gives us the impetus to keep doing our daily practice. Each day we complete is another step on the path to building a habit. When we cluster a set of one minute habits, we will find that we could, over time, have: an entire workout made up of many things we have practiced for a minute (think Tai Chi!); revised an entire course; learned a new language; learned a musical instrument; kept up a diary.

I am a fan for starting small and building.


Sam

• Reference: Kanbanchi (n.d.). What is Kaizen? Retrieved 20 August 2017 from http://www.kanbanchi.com/what-is-kaizen

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