Getting to know you

Gaining access into the organization. It’s more than just physically being allowed in their workplace, it means city staff welcoming you into, and sharing, their reality. For any of that to happen, a “getting to know you” phase happens first. Here we describe several things to think about when trying to get to know an organization’s staff:

• Learning the organizational chart
• Designating a point of contact
• Emphasizing project planning conversations
• Announcing the project
• Emphasizing introduction conversations

Learning the organizational chart

Considerations:

• Get your hands on a recent and complete organizational chart. The chart tells you about the organization in theory so you can build off of that with knowledge of the organization in reality. If what you’re given is outdated, ask your early project champion if they know who has an updated chart or list. We’ve found that even when there isn’t a formally updated chart, someone in the organization has often created an informal list or marked up chart. Your internal champion wants to help this project succeed; ask them to ask around internally on your behalf for such an informal chart and you’re already involving them in the project’s success. If no kind of updated chart can be found, ask your internal champion to mark up the outdated one or suggest someone who can. It’s easy to bring it to your next meeting and look at it together.

• Who’s the head honcho?

• How are the groups organized?

Designating a point of contact

Considerations:

• Who will be the point of contact from your team for city staff? They are the ones who should be most visible during the getting to know you phase. Point of contacts build bridges, demonstrate curiosity in learning from others, and communicate early and openly. Their tasks include:

  • Leading project planning conversations

  • Managing the project announcement

  • Leading introduction conversations

  • Leading stakeholder system conversations

  • Handling/re-directing staff questions, comments, and concerns

  • Leading project update efforts

Emphasizing project planning conversations

Project planning happens in a series of conversations with people in very different roles:

• Early project champion

• Decision-maker

• Manager

• City staff as potential team members

Below we’ve laid out the various elements, and some general considerations for each, for any conversation you have. Sample scripts are provided where we have found more detail to be useful. Use the general considerations when talking to early project champions, the city staff who have worked to initiate this project in their organization. Additional guidance specific to the other roles follow.

General considerations:

• Bookend - Begin every conversation with who you spoke with last, and end with who you’ll speak to next. You are signaling that this project will bring all key players to the table.

• Introductions

  • Staff - Learn their contribution to their organization

  • Team - Share about your team

  • You - Share about your contribution to your team

  • Project - Ask about their current understanding of the project. Share your team’s starting point.

    • Sample script

    • “[Early project champion] came to us with an idea. We think we can help with that idea with [your team’s approach]. This is just an initial idea. What we do is apply our [expertise] to help our city partners improve their services for both staff and residents. But we aren’t experts in [the process in scope]. Staff in [department or working group] are. So we are here to learn from you, the experts and work with you to improve that process. We want to make sure this project aligns with your vision and creates useful outcomes for you. What is your vision for your organization? This project?…Here is what we have in mind initially.”

• Acknowledge - What are their “Taj Mahal” things- their primary goals or needs? Repeat what they told you to confirm that you heard correctly and that you’ll be keeping these things in mind during the project.

• Expectations - Share the philosophy or attitude underlying your team’s work: the look and feel of the process, the spirit of your approach.
  • Sample script
  • “We are here to learn realities. Realities offer opportunities, and we are going to ensure this is a safe space to learn and act on realities. The only way to make things better is to learn from everyone’s realities. So we’ll be engaging everyone that impacts [the process in scope].”
• Communication Plan - Co-create strategies for keeping in touch, and strategies for handling last minute needs during the project. It’s best to set up communication practices from the beginning so that when something urgent comes up or you need approval or feedback, the act of getting in touch with each other is already part of the routine.
  • Sample Script
  • “I’m hoping we can set up a plan for communicating during the project, so that when you need me you know the best way to reach me and vice versa. We can change this plan once we start the project and have a better idea of how frequently we need to be in touch. For now, one idea I had was [ex: a standing 15 minute phone call each week]. Or, what would work better?”

• Bookend - End with who you’ll speak to next. You are signaling that this project will bring all key players at the table.

• Reflection - After your conversation, assess:
  • Potential benefits to them: Where do you see connections between their “Taj Mahal” needs and the project? Identify any potential benefits to them from:

    • Project’s stated outcomes

    • Project’s potential secondary outcomes

    • Serving in an advisory or project champion role

    • Learning the project’s methods/process

    • Working relationships that might emerge

    • Learning more about innovative methods of problem solving

    • If you can answer yes to any of these, and they would agree with you, you have an opportunity to help the person and thereby offer a meaningful engagement opportunity. If you cannot answer yes to any of these questions, then do not engage them further.

    • Document the project’s benefits to them, and connect back to them when you engage this person in the future.

  • Level of engagement: How excited or alarmed were they? How much did they lean in with encouragement or criticism or fear or doubt or gratitude? Whether positively or negatively, these are your highly engaged. Lean IN not AWAY from negatively engaged or “problem children.” The highly engaged will talk about your project for you, they are what Seth Godin calls your “sneezers”. Their engagement is a gift. Accept the gift and engage them. Ask the highly engaged for their help spreading the word about the project.

Decision makers:

After meeting with the project’s early champion, meet with the head honcho who has final approval on the project. Your conversation with them includes all the elements and guidance laid out in our general considerations, plus:

• Introductions
  • Project - Starting at this level, it is very useful to think of gaining access as being welcomed into someone’s home, and we’ve found it to be a very helpful analogy to use in conversation with those you engage. There are a series of people, each with their own “front door”, and you need permission to enter each door in order to truly gain access in the spirit we’re referring to here. With each door you are allowed through, you are building buy-in and support, as well as demonstrating your desire that staff welcome rather than simply tolerate your engagement efforts. When talking about the project, ask for their permission to enter.
    • Sample script
    • “We’re only here to stay for this project if we have your permission to enter “this house,” [the Department]. We want to make sure this project aligns with your vision for the Department and creates useful outcomes for you. What is your vision?…Here is what we had in mind.”

Manager:

After meeting with the project’s decision maker, you’ll need to meet with the manager over the staff directly involved in [the process in scope]. Hold off on planning the research phase of your project with them until you get a sense of the organization’s “flavor,” where you’ll be in a better position to offer process options that are more tailored to their workplace. Your conversation with them includes all the elements and guidance laid out in our general considerations, plus:

• Introductions
  • Project - When talking about the project, ask for their permission to enter.
    • Sample script
    • “[Decision Maker] has given us permission to enter “their home,” [the Department]. But we’re only here to stay for this project if we have your permission to enter too. We want to make sure this project aligns with your vision for [the Department] and creates useful outcomes for you. What is your vision?…Here is what we had in mind.”

City staff as potential team members:

When partnering with a city department or working group to improve services, your project team may include some city staff members. After meeting with their manager, you’ll want to meet with any identified potential team members. Your conversation with them includes all the elements and guidance laid out in our general considerations, plus:

• Introductions
  • Staff - Learn their subject matter expertise and how they became connected to the project.
  • Project - When talking about the project, ask for their permission to enter and confirm alignment with the project.
    • Sample script
    • “We are city just like you. We want to make sure this project aligns with your work, your skills, and creates useful outcomes for you. What is your vision for the org? This project? Where do you see your skills connecting?”
• Expectations - Talk strategies for identifying and challenging assumptions. Talk time and effort needed to serve as a project team member. Talk strategies for identifying and remedying an overloaded plate of work.
  • Sample scripts
  • “In many ways, we who are not involved in [the process in scope] have it easier than you in this project. Since everything is new to us, being in learning mode feels natural to us; you may find that your experience and expertise with the process can make it hard for you to notice when you’re making assumptions instead of staying curious and open. Challenging assumptions is something we all have to do, but we recognize that your task at that might be harder. We are here to help you if that happens! Let’s talk strategies for how we’ll help each other identify and challenge assumptions during the project. To get us started, here’s one we’ve found really helpful in the past…”
  • “We recognize that this project is not the only thing on your plate. We want to make sure you have the time and resources you need to be able to contribute meaningfully to the project. Given the scope of this project, we anticipate a weekly time commitment to be [x hours]. We give that as a maximum so staff have an assurance of a cap on their time spent on the project. In exchange, we do ask that time commitment to be protected. Does that align with your current availability? Will your supervisor agree to this time commitment?”
  • “We know that unexpected tasks will fall in our laps at some point in the project. Let’s talk strategies for how we’ll monitor and adjust workloads if needed. To get us started, here’s one we’ve found really helpful in the past…”
• Reflection - After your conversation, reflect on the intel you’ve gathered. Are their skills right for the project team? Better suited for an advisory role or project championing role? Offer your reflections to them on this. Staff members assigned to the project team can add drag to a project if they’re un-interested or not a good fit. When you perceive there are dynamics of power or office politics that have led that person to be assigned to the project team, it can be daunting to initiate a conversation about removing them from the team. Talk to the decision-maker or manager that want the staff member involved in the project, framing your concerns with respect and appreciation. Any of these are conversation starters for ensuring a project member’s role aligns with their interests:
  • Sample scripts
  • “We want to make sure [the staff member’s] time is used effectively and efficiently and that they can see their contributions in the project’s outcomes. We’ve recognized that their skills would be a big asset to the team in an advisory capacity because of [explain how].”
  • “[The staff member] appears not to have chosen to be on the project team and it’s important that staff opt into it because of [explain how].”
  • “[The staff member’s] expertise plus their time commitment available appear to better align with an advisor role because of [explain how.].”
  • “[The staff member’s] interest in periodic updates and feedback appear well aligned with a project champion role because of [explain how.].”

Announcing the project

After conducting the project planning conversations, you are ready to announce the project. Several things to consider are:

• Official hello!

• Organizational tour

• Snowball sampling

Official hello!

In addition to the manager sending an email announcing the project to their staff, send an email to staff from the project team. We suggest including a one-liner explaining the project’s topic rather than its goals, to make it clear to staff you will co-create project goals with them. Also introduce everyone on the project team. You are entering their home, the tone you’re aiming for is: “We will be spending time at your workplace. We’re looking forward to meeting you, please feel free to say hello!”

Organizational tour

Tour the workplace to meet staff and express interest in meeting them 1:1 to learn more. Learn everyone’s names. Remember: lean IN not AWAY from negatively engaged or “problem children.” When someone expresses interest in talking further, schedule a meeting with them right away. This is the beginning of your snowball sampling chain.

Snowball sampling

Snowball sampling is a great way to make connections among staff because you’re letting them lead you to all relevant players and your introduction will be more credible if coworkers are introducing you. Introductions lead to more introductions when you ask at the end of every conversation, “who else should I speak to?” Keep following the chain as it grows and branches out.

Emphasizing introduction conversations

You’ve conducted project planning conversations and then announced the project; you’re now ready to conduct what we call introduction conversations. While project planning conversations are meant to get the project off the ground, introduction conversations are all about meeting and learning about the staff who are directly involved in [the process in scope]. Your conversations with staff include all the elements and guidance laid out in our general considerations, plus:

• Introductions
  • Project - When talking about the project, ask for their permission to enter.
    • Sample script
    • “[Decision Maker] has given us permission to enter their home, [the Department]. [Manager] has given us permission to enter. But we’re only staying for this project if we have your permission to enter too. We could really use your feedback to refine this project so that its outcomes are useful to you. What resonates with you from what we’ve talked about today?”