Design Thinking + Inclusion: Anonymous wins
In the previous article on collaborating or just validating, we walked through the difference between collaboration and its almost, but not quite, twin: validation. If haven’t yet, check out the first article in this series about the tools you need to help you and your team move from validation to real, inclusive collaboration here.
Collaboration can be incredibly successful and incredibly frustrating for every single person at the table, all at once!
When a large organization that has most of the control in an unequal power dynamic brings together stakeholders to collaborate, they assume the process of coming together alone is beneficial enough for everyone involved.
Being on the other side of that power dynamic is extremely unsatisfying. Even worse, a sense of tokenism takes center stage when you are on the other side of that dynamic as a person of colour, a smaller organization, or someone living in the margins of society.
After using the Design Thinking + Inclusion™: Power Meter, it is critical to create the space for honesty around expectations. The reality is, when you are on the positive end of unequal power structure, you automatically benefit from any type of collaboration - even one that isn’t inclusive. Folks will be at your table, giving you their knowledge, experience, expertise and insights, often for free.
But as most artists and freelancers know, experience and exposure just isn’t currency.
Understanding and addressing the expectations and concerns of every stakeholder is a central part of building a collaborative path forward. As an inclusion specialist, I support teams to create more inclusive processes for collaboration that move away from thinking of diversity and inclusion as a checkmark and nothing more substantial and meaningful.
Here’s the second tool to help you and your team move from validation to real, inclusive collaboration:
Design Thinking + Inclusion: Anonymous Wins
Anonymous wins is an activity that allows everyone in the room to be honest and clear about what successful collaboration will look like, without endangering relationships. This is a simple activity that requires the following:
Ask everyone to write on a piece of paper what their best case scenario outcome will be for them personally.
These should be written anonymously and shared with the group.
If time allows, the anonymous wins can be clustered thematically and places somewhere noticeable for the duration of the session/meeting.
That’s it, that is all the steps!
You might receive answers that range from very specific, like, sign a contract or secure funding, to very broad, like, build a relationship or gain visibility from working together.
This activity encourages transparency and helps everyone keep in mind that there may be multiple visions for success and each is as important as the next. Although everyone may not walk out with their exact “win”, the process of identifying and making space for the “Anonymous Wins” means that a conversation can be sparked around how to cater to stakeholders who don’t have the power to direct the conversation or the relationship.
Check back next week for more tips on how to be inclusive and collaborative, and be sure to check out my workshop for more information.
Thanks to the folks who attended the Ottawa Impact Hub session on collaborating towards tackling the Sustainable Development Goals for sparking this article!