Collective Mindfulness - DBS

Presented at 202107 DBS DevConnect

Transcript

1. C i M n f B D n M K A n B s .c
2. I want to start by talking to you about the opposite, because I think that anyone who has ever been oncall can relate to...
3. what is "mindLESSness? M ndl n ss K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 3
4. It's doing things automatically - commuting, the same path, day after day or typing the same commands, looking at the same dashboards, day after day A i K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 4
5. It's responding without thinking I t K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 5
6. In short, it's reacting; such as at... R e K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 6
7. when you're... 0300 K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 7
8. and... 0300 H lf-a ak K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 8
9. all of which leads to... S n i g in w on K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 9
10. 2019 Catchpoint SRE survey; highlights discussed by Dawn Parzych & Jamie Woo lightning talk http://blog.catchpoint.com/2019/03/27/srecon-2019- sre-report/ SREcon19Americas Lightning Talks link: https:// www.usenix.org/conference/srecon19americas/ presentation/lightning-talks; the slides aren't very helpful (except for the resource links at the end which are https:// github.com/jaimewoo/SRE-stress-resources and http:// bit.ly/2019SRE-Report), but the video is worth watching from about 5m-10m S RE S K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 1
11. These situations are common enough across industries and professions that they have become know by this acronym: VUCA Now let's look at an antidote... Vo at le Un er ai Ch ot c Am ig ou K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 1
12. What is mindFULness? M ndf K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 1
13. seeing more clearly than when you're stressed out T b m ndf i t s m c K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 1
14. for an individual: * present state, * internal & external, * accepting, * open, * non-judgemental I u m n . . .s at o c ns io sn ss. . . f cu ed n i te na a d xt rn l he om na. . . a n , o , a d n m a e t wa d he om na ha a e er ei ed n he p m K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 1
15. Discern details, so that you can act swiftly Research shows positive correlation to good organizational outcomes including * greater customer satisfaction (Ndubisi 2012); * more effective resource allocation (Wilson et al. 2011); * greater innovation (Vogus & Welbourne 2003); * and improved quality, safety, and reliability (e.g., Vogus & Sutcliffe 2007a,b) especially in high stress situations (VUCA) C i M n c pa il ty o d d sc im na or d a ou e er in i su s a d o a s i r sp ns t t es d ta ls K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 1
16. Joint responsibility and a team consciousness is a key component There are five key distinguishing characteristics of organizations manifesting collective mindfulness. . . and I think you'll find that many SREs and SRE organizations fit these pretty well firstly, there is a preoccupation with. . . C i M n a e vi on en a d ro es es he ei i di id al w o ar ic pa e h c o j r i t c nt nu us y va ua e he nv ro me t K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 1
17. A preoccupation with failure: prevents failures by focusing on discovering incipient failures and their components. Focus on points of failure by: - increasing alertness, - fighting inertia, - looking for new alternatives, - identifying errors, and - developing processes to prevent mistakes Fa lu e K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 1
18. A reluctance to simplify interpretations Promotes a thoughtful, data-driven process that considers the uniqueness of a problem before applying a solution. It discourages the blind adoption of cookie-cutter solutions to problems without thorough consideration of the problem’s unique context. F il re No -s mp if K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 1
19. A sensitivity to operations Recognizes that a solution to one problem may create another and therefore systemic, process- wide evaluation is essential. This is accomplished through sharing real time data, shifting problems to experts, and engaging in face to face communication. Effective organizations (HROs) distinguish among three modes of operating: normal, up-tempo, and crisis and adapt their reactions accordingly. F il re N t-s mp if Op ra io s K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 1
20. A commitment to resilience Encourages the use of individual initiative to maintain process improvements long- term. It encourages activities to prevent failures and relies on the expertise of front- line workers to reduce response time and counter immediate, evolving threats or “absorb” as much of the threat as possible. F il re N t-s mp if O er ti ns Re il en e K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 2
21. Recognize experiential expertise is more important than formal titles An under-specification of structures refers to using the highest level of recognized expertise in improving reliability, not necessarily the higher-ranking “boss”. Under-specification of structures discourages excessive formal ranks instead it relies on the lowest-level possible - most direct experiential expertise F il re N t-s mp if O er ti ns R si ie ce Ex er is K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 2
22. - Preoccupation with failure - Don't over simplify explanations - Focus on operations - Commitment to resilience - Respect experiential expertise (under-specify formal structures) How do these relate to concepts that we've heard about in the SRE field over the last few years? F a lu e N o -s mp if O p ra io s R e il en e E x er is K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 2
23. Let's start with "psychological safety" - these attributes intersect with collective mindfulness but are not the same Refer to Google's Project Aristotle and chapter 27 in the Seeking SRE by John Looney: * Project Aristotle * Seeking SRE, chapter 27 The other important components are... P yc ol gi al af ty 4 W n d v n p t 4 F e c f s 4 "H u G i " - a s i 4 A e a e s r "o h g " o t i c c 4 L g / G i C K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 2
24. A ti ip ti g ro le s: K ow ng w l K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 2
25. Anticipating problems - studies of expertise have found that expertise involves knowing where to look The related collective mindfulness attributes are - the focus on failure, - not overly simplifying, and - staying attuned to operations The other side of the coin is... A ti ip ti g ro le s: K ow ng w l F - N - O K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 2
26. C nt in ng ro le s K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 2
27. Containing or limiting problems is facilitated with resilience and practical expertise C nt in ng ro le s R - E K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 2
28. Let's explore a little bit more what characterizes resilient teams ( I recommend checking out Lara Hogan's new book Resilient Management ) The first characteristic of resilient teams is. . . R n T am K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 2
29. improvisation Reliable systems spend time improving their capacity to - do a quick study, - develop swift trust, - engage in just-in-time learning, - simulate mentally, and - work with fragments of potentially relevant past experience. Not only are resilient teams good at "thinking on their feet", but they are also characterized by. . . R si ie t ea s ( 1 ) S il ed t i s 4 d k g b 4 r n u a h o 4 i s m e e l r e & m d K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 2
30. . . .humility / wisdom Reliable performance increases when close calls are interpreted as danger masquerading as safety and decreases when close calls are deemed as safety in the guise of danger. both of these aspects come from how they communicate... R si ie t ea s ( 2 ) A op a ti ud o w 4 m o k , r o d ’t k 4 a o d , o t 4 n s = 4 d g s 4 n s g d K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 3
31. effective and respectful interactions - trustworthy and trusted - able to work out differences Resilience can't happen without good communication. Sometimes when things get heated, it can be helpful to fall back to a standardized ritual of communication. . . R si ie t ea s ( 3 ) P ac ic r sp ct ul i t 4 p t r r 4 t h r p s 4 r d e w m n s -r K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 3
32. walk through S-T-I-C-C * situation * task * intent * concern * calibrate Think about other "rituals" of communication - such as postmortem templates, SWOT analyses, etc. practice to make this an instinctual fallback under stress S M de o C mm ni at on 4 Si n: H ’s a I t f 4 Ta : H ’s a I t s d 4 In : H ’s w 4 Co : H ’s a e w 4 Ca e: o l m K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 3
33. validated survey to evaluate mindful organizing/operations Vogus (2011) Mindful Organizing, chapter 50 1. W a a o “m ” c p ’s t n s 2. W t a m s n y l o e 3. W d e u u s t c o a e h a r t s i s n k g 4. W d e a t o a u n r a i 5. W d i e g p s t c -w , u d e a o u o 6. W a i r a p , o a g h u s u c u 7. W s m i y a i i o n w 8. W e h d, d e o c v p e e 9. W a c o d, r p u c i e s a r M t a 7-p L s (“n a ” ➡ “t a r g e ”) A e l i o a t s K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 3
34. Summary of the characteristics of collective mindfulness Next: actions to create or enhance... F - N - O - R - E Fa lu es No -s mp i e Op ra io s Re il en e Ex er is K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 3
35. L ad rs ip o os er ol ec iv M nd ul es 4 O s e o , s i f -l s d n , n p n d n 4 A l t r c d t v n t s n r f t n s l e d d i K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 3
36. Flight crews trained in crew resource management such as training in effective communication, how to work as a team (e.g., workload sharing), error detection, and decision making are more mindful * Systems can improve mindfulness by heightening attention through cultivating awareness of risks, careful analysis of issues, and increased organizational collaboration, as well as by enriching action repertoires * Systems can hurt mindfulness by routinizing, automating, and otherwise making work inflexible and difficult to enact. O ga iz ti na P ac ic s o mp ov C ll ct ve in fu ne s 4 A s z (e.g., t v s ) 4 C o t g n s i r e 4 E m (i.e., d i a t ) 4 A -P s 4 A i a r m n r z K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 3
37. "...the glasses of HRO are more suitable for accounting for structural and formal aspects of organisations than the RE glasses - which are particularly suitable for capturing situated work." From Haavik & Antonsen: HRO and RE: A pragmatic perspective Safety Science v117, 2019-08 pp 479-489 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/ S0925753516301722 Summarized by Thai Woods in Resilience Roundup #79: https://resilienceroundup.com/issues/hro-and-re-a- pragmatic-perspective/ H gh el ab li y rg ni at on v . R si ie ce ng ne ri g 4 H s o o a w , w s o ‘w w ’ 4 R n R n a d e l o a : 4 H o o a p v K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 3
38. A el -d si ne o ga iz ti n s ot s ab e ol ti n o ch ev , b t d m p oc ss o ee a ti e. 1 S k & N , 8 (e s a ) K A n (@d ) - B D e 2 3
39. Q n ? C tc m o T it er r ia ma l K rt nd rs n K rt (a ) B am le s.c m