5R Protocol for a Listening Workplace — A speculation

I've been just a little bothered by the state of the art of lean project delivery for awhile. When I look at the work done on the lean production side there is a well-established path for getting started and becoming lean. That path inevitably begins with the visible workplace (5S), value stream mapping, and kaizen. After that, lean production can take any number of paths. However all have a foundation of producing value for the customer without producing waste along the way.

Lean project delivery isn't yet mature to have a similar usual way of starting and continuing. The most common approach is to adopt the Last Planner System™ of Production Control. In concert with this people take up improvement actions. But what about getting the setting ready for both? The practice I've observed is just to jump in.

So I wondered, what would an analog to 5S be for the project setting? What is most interesting about 5S is it allows everyone in the process to see the current flows (value stream) of the process by getting the unnecessary stuff out of the way while making the materiel ready-to-hand. Is there something that is like that for project delivery? By now you see that I'm claiming listening has the same clearing effect that 5S has. Why? All project actions occur with a backdrop of promising conversations. In the project setting when something goes wrong, it inevitably involves some sort of mis-listening or misunderstanding. What is if we could do something about that is in a systematic fashion? Would that produce a similar clearing for the adoption of the Last Planner and kaizen? Let's find out together.

Here's my speculation of a protocol for the Listening Workplace. (I suppose I should trademark this…I just might be on to something.)

Let's start by replacing the S with an R. (If I need to force it for the sake of the analog, then so be it!)

1. Roles
   We listen best when we are clear about what accountability we have for the future. Clear intentions and commitments engages the biological system of noticing — the reticular activating system. For instance, we have an intention to get a new car. As the intention gets clearer about the type of car we want, say a two-door sports car, then we begin noticing what seems to be more sports cars on the roadway. Not that there really are more sports cars, just the reticular activating system allows us to see what has always been there. It works the same way for listening.
   • State the role as the promise(s), both broad accountabilities and specific deliverables, that the individual is making on the project.
   • Join with team members in their fulfillment of their promises. Another way of saying this is to root for each team member.
   • Progressively clarify intentions and commitments throughout the life of the project. What may start as just an inkling is brightened as the project proceeds and people find their place on the project.
2. Rules
   Much is made of listening skills. Experts advise us to restate what we hear. To restate and clarify our what we say. But we still have mis-listening. What if we adopt a small set of rules by which we will engage with each other? It would be our stance in the conversation. It is a stance of openness to listen and be listened. In other words, be generous…give others the benefit of the doubt that they speak only with good intentions while knowing that some people speak otherwise.
   • Adopt a posture of unconditionally constructive conversations. While it is human to be making assessments, it is not helpful for listening to be judgmental in the midst of the conversation.
   • Balance inquiry and advocacy. Investigate with the question, "Why do you say that?" rather than argue for your opinion.
   • Take responsibility for what you listen. Share that listening in the conversation.
   • Take responsibility for producing the listening. Investigate what was produced by your speaking in the particular setting and circumstances in that moment in time.
3. Review and Reflection
   The intention is for learning. We learn best in supportive situations that are in alignment with our interests. Make on-going assessments of what is being accomplished, what is being learned, and what possibilities are opened and closed.
   • What do we do well? Projects have a way of bring out the best in people, or not. Be intentional that you will build on the strengths of individuals and the group rather than correct for the deficiencies.
   • What are we learning? Learning is hard work. It takes attention that we would otherwise place elsewhere. Call attention to the learning and appreciate for yourself and with others on the team.
   • What needs (more) attention? This is not a polite way of saying what are our weaknesses? No. This is an opportunity to deliberately choose what would produce more value if we gave it our attention. Very often it is something that we are already good at.
4. Relationships
   We listen well when we have a shared experience of the topic and each other. Have you noticed you can give someone the benefit of the doubt when you know them? And, for the people you don't know you wonder what they have as a hidden agenda? It is usual on projects for people to not know each other. No wonder we have communication problems. By taking action to intentionally build relationships we create the clearing for listening. Without describing a lifetime's worth of issues for building relationships, let's focus on three things we can do on every project to create the basis and opportunity for a good working relationship.
   • Trust: Be prudent, not naive in making assessments of trust. Have open conversations about trust.
   • Legitimacy: Each team member is already all right. They don't need to be different to be players on the team. Their difference adds value to the team, especially their different views or opinions.
   • Aligned: When we share concerns for the future we can act in concert with each other. Talk about why the project is important to each person on the team. Keep the context of the project alive in the conversations of the team. Explore how each team member can get with or align to the promises of the project.
5. Routines and Rituals
   We keep this whole thing going by adopting standard practices as routines on the project. I hesitate to say habits only because projects are temporary organizations. However, we want routines to become our rituals.
   • Speak about the project promises. Keep the promises to the customer in the foreground of the project conversations.
   • Elicit commitment to those promises. Each team member has his or her life. The whole of our lives offer opportunities for changing priorities. While I committed fully yesterday to the project, today I a family member or friend is sick or needing my care. My commitment to the project dissipates in the face of other life concerns. And that commitment can be renewed with another conversation.
   • Investigate how each team member is doing. We all want to know that people care for us. We also need to be present to be full contributing members of a team and listeners in a conversation. Every even incidental preoccupation blocks listening, even the incidental ones. Create a clearing for listening by inquiring how each person is doing before the conversation. Do this with an authentic concern for each others' well-being, otherwise you will create cynicism.

In the background of all this is a functioning team and team leader. Now that may not be the case for some projects. People may only be performing a set of tasks as assigned perhaps in an anonymous bureaucratic process. We can't call those people team members. Maybe we should just call them cogs. We also may not see any indication of leadership. Conducting meetings, keeping action item logs, and giving status reports is not leadership.

So ignore this speculation for a Listening Workplace if you don't have a team and a leader. Take care of that first. For everyone else, the 5Rs are described for iteration. Get yourself in action at some point and then begin moving with others from one R to another with the intention that you will continue to iterate through the life of the project.

So that's my speculation for the protocol. Let's call it a draft. While I go to work on a second version please tell me what you think. Can you see this working in your setting? Am I missing something? What new possibilities do you see? Please offer your comments.

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