Abstract

Discover creative solutions to inter-personal problems in the workplace using an iterative approach: observation of moment-to-moment interactions to assess the effectiveness of our responses. We will present six options for resolving conflicts, clarifying when and how to use each through case studies, work in small groups, and simulations.

Learning objectives:

Building upon concepts that are familiar to usability professionals, participants will learn to apply principles of iterative design to overcoming inter-personal problems in the workplace. Participants will learn the following:

1. Understand basic principles of an iterative approach to better working relationships
2. Understand six options for better working relationships
3. Be able to apply the basic principles and six options to actual workplace situations to develop specific, practical action plan for overcoming inter-personal challenges in the workplace.

Detailed Description of Material Covered by Tutorial and a Schedule of Events

“We already know what the user wants”
“We have a really tight budget”
“Your ideas are very interesting. I don’t have the authority to make any decision.”
“We’ll take care of that when we do the next release.”

Implementing user-centered design is challenging. In the real world of software development, usability professionals contend with tight schedules and constrained budgets that leave no room for iterative design and usability testing. . Usability professionals respond to deadlines and financial constraints as well as lack of knowledge about the design process. They cope with colleagues who are skeptical, hostile, or focused upon personal agendas.

We need to respond in different ways at different times, depending upon the people involved and the circumstances: to be able to build trust, to speak and to listen, to be assertive and to be responsive, to give and to receive help, to lead and s to follow, and to be able to work collaboratively The tutorial includes presentations of theory, case examples, storytelling, and demonstrations.

Participants will also have the opportunity, in small groups, to develop their skills working with situations drawn from personal experience. In demonstrations and small group sessions, we will deepen understanding and to practice new skills through discussion, role-play, and simulation. Our emphasis is on experiential learning: participants will be involved in highly interactive activities throughout the day.

This tutorial has been offered at four previous UPA conferences. It has received enthusiastic reviews: several participants cited this tutorial as one of their most positive experiences at UPA. Participants appreciated the power of a simple but sophisticated model that could be immediately useful in developing creative, new ideas for practical solutions to challenging situations. They liked the structure that allowed sufficient time for large and small-group interaction. They also responded favorably to the instructors’ flexibility, their ability to spontaneously modify course content and format in response participants’ concerns and questions. Consistent with our approach, this year’s offering has been further refined and revised, both in content and format, based on participants’ feedback, so as to more effectively and efficiently facilitate learning.

Introductions and overview of the seminar

Participants will briefly introduce themselves. We will then review the overall structure and content of the tutorial.

Presentation: Basic principles of an iterative approach to better working relationships

1. Detailed observation in moment-to-moment interaction as a basis for
   1. Assessment of underlying needs and concerns of each person on the team
   2. Assessment of effectiveness of usability consultant’s responses
2. Brainstorming of possibilities for alternative responses by usability consultant
3. Assessment of potential effectiveness, ease, and efficiency of each possibility
4. Commitment to a specific action plan based on that assessment
5. Ongoing observation and continued evaluation of responses

Demonstration and group practice: practical application of principles for an iterative approach to better working relationships

Using volunteers from the group, we will enact a case example of a usability consultation and then apply the basic principles for an iterative approach to better working relationships. The case example will involve a meeting of a usability consultant with a product team. The team leader has convened a meeting to discuss implementation of recommendations by the usability consultant. The meeting includes the team leader and a software developer, as well as representatives from finance and marketing. The participants in the simulation will interact spontaneously based on information they are given that will define the concerns and needs of the specific role they have selected. Following the assessment, brainstorming, and development of an action plan, we will test effectiveness of the action plan, reenacting the meeting with the usability consultant experimenting with the new response.

Presentation: Six options for better working relationships

These options serve as a menu for brainstorming new possibilities for responding to crises. Each option will be described, illustrated with examples drawn from experiences of the facilitators as well as of the participants’. The options include the following:

1. Building Trust (You ARE Me) - Good working relationships require that we develop basic rapport and mutual respect. We also need to share a common mission that creates a foundation for working together. Sometimes difficulties in working relationships are overcome by focusing on developing more connectedness and a shared vision.
2. Communicating & Listening (You KNOW Me) – We also need to recognize that each person has a unique experience and a specialized area of expertise and focus. That unique perspective translates into a different understanding and interpretation of the facts, as well as unique concerns. We need to be able both to communicate our experience to colleagues, and to listen openly to others’ perceptions. Sometimes conflicts develop because we have not been understood or have not accurately understood others: the capacity to communicate and listen can then help resolve difficulties.
3. Asserting & Responding (You OR Me) –The differences in perspective and focus inevitably lead to conflict. Sometimes, we need to be assertive, to let others know what we need. We also need to recognize our power and know how to use it constructively. Sometimes, we need to be responsive to the needs and concerns of others, recognizing and accepting limits in our power or competence.
4. Giving & Receiving Help (You FOR Me) – Some problems in working relationships can be resolved by recognizing that our colleagues need help, by clarifying the kind of help they need, by defining the extent and limits of what we can offer, and by exploring how to offer that help. In other situations, we need to acknowledge that we need help, to define what we need, to identify potential sources of support and to clarify how to approach those people.
5. Leading & Following (You WITH Me) – Impasses in our working relationships are sometimes most effectively resolved by taking leadership to resolve problems, either formally or informally. We take the initiative to gather and integrate information as a basis for developing and implementing a plan. In other situations, we can be most effective if we commit to following someone else’s lead, making sure we provide feedback but also allowing ourselves to be guided in the process of finding solutions.
6. Co-creating (You AND Me) – In collaborative working relationships, colleagues work together to find creative, win-win solutions, rather than compromises in which each person gives up something. At this stage, there is recognition that each person’s experience, feelings, and needs may be different. However, there is also a shared commitment to understand one another’s needs and to search for a creative solution that addresses each person’s needs. Power and competence are shared as a basis for a collaborative process of problem solving. Protagonists start with a conflict that appears to be a win-lose situation, a conflict in which one person’s needs will be satisfied and the other person’s needs will be sacrificed. We agree to put aside our rigid positions and work instead to understand one another’s underlying concerns. As those concerns becomes clearer, we define a goal that includes both people’s underlying needs. We then work together to brainstorm creative solutions that might help us achieve that goal. We refine those ideas until we find a true solution that can be translated into a practical plan.

Demonstration: Application of six options to a case example

Using a case example provided by a volunteer, we will enact a critical moment. Using the six options as a menu for possibilities, we will brainstorm potential alternative responses by the usability consultant.

After assessing the possibilities, an action plan can be developed. That plan will then be tested and refined by re-enacting the situation using the new response.

Small group practice: Application of six options to case studies

Working with one or two partners, each participant will define a specific case example as a focus for application of principles for an iterative approach to better working relationships. Participants will select a situation, clarify a specific critical moment to study, enact that moment if they choose to do so, and clarify underlying needs and concerns of each person involved in the situation. They will then brainstorm potentially more effective responses using the six options as a menu for possibilities. Instructors will be available for guidance as needed.

Summary and closure

Results of work in small groups will briefly be presented to the large group followed by review of principles for an iterative approach to better working relationships.

Instructors' Biographies

Elizabeth Rosenzweig, is President of UPA and a Research Scientist at Eastman Kodak Company, investigating advanced user interface technologies for digital imaging in conjunction with research labs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Elizabeth created and led Kodak's Boston Usability Group for 8 years. With 17 years of industry experience, Elizabeth frequently presents at national conferences and has been a contributor to professional journals.

Joel Ziff, Ed. D., Ziff Consulting Group, is a psychologist, trainer, and consultant with more then twenty years experience coaching individuals, working with groups, and consulting to organizations. Joel teaches at Lesley University and Cambridge College. He presents workshops nationally and has published articles on multi-dimensional approaches to conflict resolution, collaboration, and stress management. A husband-and-wife team, this will be the fifth year in which Joel and Elizabeth are co-presenting at the UPA conference.