Noticing Inequity and Exploring the Problem in Open Space
Added to The AllianceA recap of our July 10th event
In order to explore Growing Racial Equity in the Agile Community for Black Lives, it felt natural to use a design thinking approach. When faced with a compelling problem, it’s instinctive to want to offer a solution as quickly as we can. When faced with challenging problems around inequity, many may jump directly to how they want to help or what they could offer based on known means and ability. This, however, may not be the sensible thing to do, especially given the complexities of how inequities manifest themselves in daily life and the varied levels of experience and understanding.
We knew that an essential foundation to designing usable and sustainable solutions would require inviting people impacted by these inequities to share their differing experiences and perspectives. By exploring the problem together, we uncover whys, patterns, and systemic issues to help identify where to begin to make change.
Open Space Technology felt like the right flexible structure to convene a global community around complex problems of inequity for black Agilists. When we gathered, people shared how they now saw things from a new lens after the listening and empathizing that happened in our first workshop in June and named the inequities they now saw. Open Space allowed people to explore the complex problems they were most passionate about from doing that work.
The offerings highlighted the systemic problems we face in addressing inequities in the Agile community. People chose their own workshop. At closing, we learned what groups uncovered. Workshopping these problems left people hopeful at the end. Many stayed up to two hours past closing. They listened, shared struggles, learnings, and intentions; moreover, developed community – relationships.
We’d love to have you join us for the Designathon on July 31: please register here.
[Banner image source: Snippet of responses to opening question]
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