Do-ocracy or not? (Warning: This is a rant!)

DMS General
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Do-ocracy: Has anyone looked this is awhile? It’s on our New Members 411 wiki page (New Member 411 - Dallas Makerspace)

It links to a community wiki page (CommunityWiki: Do Ocracy) that has two examples.

One: Mary inquires about food arrangements at a large group outing, asks for help, gets little to none, takes on the load and this pops up: “Jeez, why does Mary get to decide what everyone eats and when they work? Who put her in charge?”

Two: A corporate IT group replies to requests for applications in arrogant, condescending ways and takes forever to do anything. IT customers teach themselves how to do something IT can’t be bothered with, do it quickly and successfully. IT strikes back by issuing an edict that “pirate” software “will not be supported” by IT helpdesk staff and is an improper use of company property (the network). In the end IT loses the job for development and is limited to maintenance and support activity.

Hmmm, the complainer about Mary and the staffers who can’t evolve to get things done sooner than later are not strangers at DMS. Once you get past all the fantastic creativity and problem solving done by Makers in the business of Making what you have left is a Don’t-ocracy.

Start a sentence like “What if we did _______ to solve an issue or create an opportunity at DMS …

Some popular responses are (in no particular order)

  • It’s not a problem to me (or my committee), so by definition … it’s not a problem
  • We did something like that and it didn’t work
  • “They” would never agree to that
  • We have never done things like that
  • It’ll take changing the rules/by-laws, etc. ie: better keep the problem and avoid a solution
  • The BoD will never agree
  • The membership will need to explore ever option in public debate (until everyone loses interest)
  • Here’s just the top 10 reasons that is a bad idea
  • It won’t work because you haven’t explored every possible detail before you raised the thought
  • That’s a political hot potato …. should not go there.
  • That committee would never agree
  • It’s OK as long as my committee can opt out.
  • Everybody thinks such and such
  • Nobody thinks such and such
  • Somebody will try to cheat the system (compared to cheating with no system)
  • It could be worse, we are at least as good at this as such and such example.
  • Or a personal favorite … only if we can make it really complicated with a bunch of gadgetry, coding, tracking and identify/gotcha members who might do something wrong.

I’m sure I missed some too.

What do you not hear enough: “Well, there will probably be some challenges to overcome, but let’s think about how we could approach this and get the desired result(s)” or anything remotely related to “let’s figure out how we could do it” instead of regurgitate all the reasons why we can’t.

And lastly, I would really like to see DMS develop a willingness to pilot ideas, run experiments that sunset if results aren’t what’s desired … basically the same thing makers do when they try a new concept and keep tweaking it until they decide it either works or it doesn’t. When it doesn’t work … it’s not a failure, it’s something learned.

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I think the irony of you questioning the do-ocracy of this place is positively palpable. And I admire your optimism, and generally support most of what you say in this post.

And here’s the big but:
how long does the seasoned vet watch the new recruit stuff their head into the wastebasket and plunge headlong into the brick wall, convinced he’s found the weak spot that the seasoned vet ALSO thought he’d found when he was a new recruit before it’s just cruelty?

I think your work in the MultiCAM and its vacuum system PROVES that the do-ocracy IS alive and well when the new recruit ACTUALLY wields heretofore untried, unproven, unlearned jackhammers to knock down the wall.We stand aside and let him at it, cheering him on and hoping for victory. Maybe even helping a little…

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Thank you, I think. Do-ocracy exists in DMS in just about anything but organizational issues. That was my point. I wasted way too much time today watching the can’t-itis posts go back and forth diligently finding hurdles to drag in front of every alternative anyone offered to any problem. Practically nobody took a piece of this and a piece of that and tried to find a resolution to anything. Add to that the “factual statements” routinely thrown out that have either no true facts to support or amount to a cherry-picked collection of facts that are sold as the whole story.

Reminds me of a executive I knew back when statistical quality control was becoming a thing. He admitted he loved data … that way he could pick out the points that agreed with his opinion and ignore the rest. Lordy is that a path for the 20, 30 or so folks who passionately critique everything little thing done by leadership … or critique every little thing said by the leadership critics.

And I won’t get started on those who insist they have a RIGHT to be blunt, crude, and speak without regard for anyone else’s boundaries. There is no reason anyone can’t speak/write in a civil manner. None. Not a single one of the folks who are so demanding about their freedom to be insensitive would use such tone or statements in a courtroom before a judge or in a place of worship. If you know how to speak sensitively in those places, you can do so anywhere if you exercise just a tad of self-control. Today I could have used a padded room to scream expletives for awhile. Fortunately I didn’t post my raw and savage thoughts. But I had some. And I have enough self control to stop short of being public with such.

For awhile now I have been interested in being an involved member of the Space above and beyond being a customer. I’m admiring the status of customer a lot more warmly of late. I can fix a Multicam, I can maintain a Multicam, I will share my insights to folks that want them for the purposes of actually DOING something. Got ZERO interest in being in a collective monologue with anybody who lives in the land of Can’t.

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I think people finding obstacles rather than opportunities is just a part of the human condition. I’m more of a “forge ahead” type of person, so I tend to do plenty of eye rolling while I keep doing my thing.

Culturally, it’s probably not healthy in the long term (although I think it’s a vocal minority). Personally, if you’re waiting for permission or validation to do something that isn’t against the rules then you’re doing it wrong.

Haters gonna hate.

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How do you think the Multicam changes came about? It wasn’t from asking permission as much as being willing to ask for forgiveness.

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I’m pro do-ocracy, in an all volunteer anarchy type environment like DMS I think its the only effective way to actually accomplish things, by empowering people to take action. The critical difference between this approach and what some would call a dictatorship is that any member should be free to spend the time to undo something another person did if they don’t like it.

The current board very deliberately made it an agenda to kill do-ocracy (in some part as a response to complaints that I did too much organizing in the past, see exhibit A and B and compare to the state of the general work area today). I find it amusing that no one do-ocracied removing the references to do-ocracy on the new member 411 page.

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It’s an interesting subject to discuss, and certainly the growth of DMS is a huge factor in the concept of do-acacy here at DMS. It’s also true that the word has different meaning for different members, making intelligent discussion on the subject somewhat difficult or emotional for some.

For my own part, I think do-acracy works in small workgroups, and becomes progressively more problematic as the group gets larger.

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