on 7/11/10 3:29 PM, George Herbert at george.herbert@gmail.com wrote:
Admin Rodhullandemu just retired after being blocked for blocking Malleus Fautorum to win a dispute
For reference: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators%27_n... eboard#Block_review
On and off wiki I have mentioned before that we are really bad, as a project, at identifying people who have worked themselves into an angry corner and feel that they must blow up and leave, and then talking them down and defusing the situation. This is in my experience the typical (or at least, a major and common) exit mode of longtime highly involved contributors.
Our existing policy and precedent really don't address this problem. We have had individual admins and experienced editors spot the pattern start and work to calm situations down on an individual basis, with mixed results. But typically the pattern is not really recognized until it's too late.
Posed for consideration - This is a problem worth putting more time and effort into, and which the project will benefit significantly from getting right over the long term.
The question is - what exactly do we do about it?
Many, if not most, companies, major non-profit organizations and virtually all government agencies have a Human Resources department. Or, as I have established for many of them, a Person & Team Relations section. This consists of a group of persons trained in the art & science of human behavior; most especially in inter-personal & inter-group relations. They are persons not involved in, but are knowledgeable of, the day-to-day activities & demands of the organization. Their sole purpose is to prevent valuable employees who are experiencing acute burnout, or feel they have reached impasse in a particular situation, from leaving the organization.
Would this be a possibility for the Wikipedia Project?
Marc Riddell, Ph.D. Clinical Psychology/Psychotherapy