Introduction

what this training does and doesn't cover

Most people would rather fail than change.

— Robert Wilson

• But change does happen, follows patterns, and can be guided
• This workshop introduces a few basic ideas and tools for getting an organization to make a lasting change to its goals and/or the way it operates
• Assumes discussion and action are safe in your environment
• Exercises can be done individually but work better in small groups (3-4 people)
• Also work better if done synchronously
  • But may be done asynchronously if a workshop runs out of time

Sessions are not recorded, and we request that you do not share notes or exercise results with people who did not take part without the prior, explicit permission of all attendees.

Prerequisites

• How to run a meeting
• Patience
  • Society of Research Software Engineering was years in the making
  • But has normalized RSE careers in the UK and worldwide

Not Covered

• Community building
  • Important to distinguish community of practice from community of purpose
  • General organising or creating social movements are not covered. There are lots of good guides on this topic, including [Alinsky1989, Brown2007, Lakey2018]
  • However, building and sustaining a community of practice as a specific strategy of change is
• Communication skills
  • Change won't happen unless someone can write and speak convincingly. However, that does not mean you have to be the loudest voice in the room.
  • See [Kuchner2011] for some useful insights
• Electoral politics
  • If we were serious about open science, we would train cohorts of candidates to run for the boards of our professional societies
  • And school boards and city councils and…