PROBLEM
Organisations help us co-ordinate our individual activities, but they can become the thing we spend time and money to maintain. As a result, departments and companies persist beyond their usecase, while networks have less robust methods of accountability.
- People working for position not outcome
- Stressful 360 reviews to justify salary
- Organisations lack agility in changing conditions
- Lack of accountability in networks
CHALLENGES
We work together on different projects within the same organisation or network, how do we measure relative importance of tasks? How do we know who's contributions matter. Or who is pulling their weight? If we don't agree on payment structure beforehand, how should bonuses or revenue be distributed?
We value each other's contributions and over time those who offer the greatest value are rewarded with appropriate recognition.
It may be sufficient to simply acknowledge those who contribute the most, but it is also possible to distribute a bonus or revenue according to everyone's evaluations.
Personal Values
We individually evaluate according to our perception and our personal values. We simply generate a number to indicate how thankful we are for another's contributions. By providing this numerical evaluation, we underwrite the biases which are tied up with word-based approaches. This creates a social accounting system for any group of people whether in a department or across a network.
Social Average
Once a community of practitioners agree that the Social Average appears fair, it may be used as a ratio for the distribution of a bonus or revenue. In Sqale, credits given as Support to a project may be distributed according to exactly equal share or merged with the derived social average. The evaluations are happening on an on-going basis and is known as warm data; the resulting credit distribution is live.
Fair Distribution
Whatever our individual evaluations, they are averaged using a relative value equation. There is no language bias to it. It is a mathematical procedure which averages relative evaluations. Sqale uses a similar procedure to Google Page Rank, but instead of number of links we use amount of gratitude. A group of individuals may reflect on how evaluations are attributed according to mutual goals (a project), and this will help form a community of practitioners.
Do This
Sequence of actions to set up Fair-Share
The Project card is just a container for the people who will be in the project. Remember that the Description will be the first thing that people will read if it is Quick shared with them. Settings enable a wide range of control over the behaviour of members in the project.
Invite folks to the project. Enable Sharing so that anyone can invite members to the project, or disable to ensure only you have control on who is a member.
By thanking one another and attributing our reasons, we receive positive feedback. Sessions may be convened to help people value according to the principles and practices of the team.
If Support is enabled, any Credits directed to the team will be distributed equally, or according to the social average accumulated over time. Regular reflection on the social average will help members improve their ability to track value as well as ascertain whether their team is working healthily.
Encourage meaningful evaluations using the following techniques.
People First
We do things because we feel an urge to, and often this is to help others. This should remain the primary driver of activity.
Mutual Thanks
Instead of bigging up our own contributions, we rely on others to notice and evaluate. So, we must thank others in turn.
Learn & Share
Join the Open Meeting to help or learn from other pioneers who are creating and tracking social value. We are all in it together.
Fixed Structure
Troublesome work reviews and payment negotiations.
Organic Sharing
Horizontal evaluations and contribution-based distribution.
Mattew Bushell
Wellbeing Coach
Mark Stewart
Operations Manager, Envato
David Pinto
Founder, Ecosquared
