29 August 2010

Dragon Dreaming

How to get a large group of volunteers cooperate effectively?
There is plenty of energy and enthusiasm.
How to channel all this creative energy towards a common goal?
These questions popped up during the past few weeks at a construction project in the Netherlands.
Dragon dreaming is a outrageous good answer.
How to apply Dragon Dreaming with a large group of volunteers?
What practical solutions are available?
How to make it fun to all?

People

Enjoy diversity.
Create an environment where people feel comfortable.

Use pattern language, from a sun basking bench to a covered toilet with a view.

Learn as a group.

Share and retain knowledge.

Train new arrivals in dragon dreaming.

Train new arrivals as soon as possible. Early morning is a good time.

Dream

Forget about having meetings to discuss problems.
Turn problems around into dreams.

Start Dragon Dreaming with a dreaming circle.

Planning

Keep a clear focus on your goals.

Select means that support a goal.

Make sure that tools and material are available when needed.
Prioritise the tasks for the day.

Reject last minute changes.

Have people choose the task they like, first things first.

See a video about SCRUM, from 39:00.

Limit task distribution to be just task distribution.

Those Artists that can not attract an audience tend to perform when everybody comes together.

Create teams with dreamers and doers together.

Have people walk over to their group during task distribution.

The team composition will be clear to all.

Keep team members together.

Dreamers and doers tend to go separate ways.

Design the karabirrdt at the do-location.

Design karabirrdts with sticky pads.

Switch off your computer.

Stick to hand drawn karabirrdts.

Do

Post karabirrdts at the do-location.

A karabirrdt for cooking belongs in the kitchen.

Always maintain a core of experience people.

Pause tasks when there is a lack of experienced people.

Divide material into 2 categories: general and task specific.

Label task specific material with the name of the team and task leader.

Food

The kitchen is a great place to start dragon dreaming.

Have fun dreaming about sweet and sour sauce and chocolate covered bananas!

a karabirrdt for vegetables in sweet and sour sauce in Dutch language
Apply pattern language during meals too.

A queue is like an undesired, to crowded square.

Arrange food in a circle, with plates and cutlery in the center.

People will go for a plate first and will nicely spread out towards dishes.

Collect dirty dishes outside of the kitchen.

Post a karabirrdt for dish washing.

Money

Do not accept money inside your community of volunteers.

Work with a gift-based-economy.

Value internal money systems such as LETS as a temporary solution.
Encourage a high speed of spending internal money.

Avoid savings. Put a time limit on internal money and have it decrease value over time.

Use own money to finance a project.

Reject government funding.

'Free' money decreases the commitment of participants and attracts swindlers.

Avoid fraud and kick backs.

Till next nut,
Nut