To keep burned out admins from leaving, we need to give them praise and encouragement. They need to be seen as some of our most valued contributors. We might also want to set up incentives.
| Tyler | Zorin Deckiller | | Wikipedia Administrator | Former SWU member | | _http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Deckiller_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Deckiller) | | _http://www.myspace.com/redsectora_ (http://www.myspace.com/redsectora) |
On 2/8/07, SonOfYoungwood@aol.com SonOfYoungwood@aol.com wrote:
To keep burned out admins from leaving, we need to give them praise and encouragement. They need to be seen as some of our most valued contributors. We might also want to set up incentives.
I agree with this, but we also have the problem that a common (but not universal) near-the-end trait is blocks or other user admin stuff which turn out to be very controversial. How do you say "we really like what you've done for the project and we want you to stay" and "...but can you stop beating up newbies this badly?" at the same time?
If it were just a matter of WikiLove it would be easy.
George Herbert wrote:
On 2/8/07, SonOfYoungwood@aol.com SonOfYoungwood@aol.com wrote:
To keep burned out admins from leaving, we need to give them praise and encouragement. They need to be seen as some of our most valued contributors. We might also want to set up incentives.
I agree with this, but we also have the problem that a common (but not universal) near-the-end trait is blocks or other user admin stuff which turn out to be very controversial. How do you say "we really like what you've done for the project and we want you to stay" and "...but can you stop beating up newbies this badly?" at the same time?
What you describe seems like a sign of frustration and siege mentality. The task becomes so huge that the admin becomes overwhelmed. For some it appears even bigger than it really is. Combine this with an atmosphere of serious mistrust where he believes the other guy is either trying to delete everything or keep everything, and you can soon become non-functional.
Every admin should severely limit the amount of time he spends on admin duties. Spending a greater proportion of time on what really matters helps maintain a vision of what this is all about.
Ec
Ray Saintonge wrote:
What you describe seems like a sign of frustration and siege mentality. [...]
Every admin should severely limit the amount of time he spends on admin duties. Spending a greater proportion of time on what really matters helps maintain a vision of what this is all about.
Some of my work involves getting software development teams to change the way they do things. One of the things I've noticed over the years is that people who are stressed, frustrated, or overworked are averse to change. It can lead to a downward spiral, where nobody has the time to improve things so they have more time.
Could that be a problem in this discussion?
I have a hard time telling how stressed or burnt out the average admin is, so this is an actual question, not a rhetorical one.
Thanks,
William
on 2/15/07 4:16 AM, William Pietri at william@scissor.com wrote:
Some of my work involves getting software development teams to change the way they do things. One of the things I've noticed over the years is that people who are stressed, frustrated, or overworked are averse to change. It can lead to a downward spiral, where nobody has the time to improve things so they have more time.
Persons who are stressed are preoccupied with the effects that stress is having on them, not the source. They are in pain. That¹s why it is important to remove them from the source. You are expecting a person to listen to you suggesting alternative ways of doing something while they are still occupied with doing what they know it is at least familiar.
Imagine a person driving a car at 70 miles an hour over a road that is very difficult to navigate, but is familiar to them. You know a different, and better, route. You want to teach them about that route, but for them to listen to you they are going to have to take their hands off the steering wheel while still in motion. They¹ve got to pull over to the side of the road and stop the car. Now they will be in a more receptive frame to listen to alternatives.
Marc Riddell
William Pietri wrote:
Ray Saintonge wrote:
What you describe seems like a sign of frustration and siege mentality. [...] Every admin should severely limit the amount of time he spends on admin duties. Spending a greater proportion of time on what really matters helps maintain a vision of what this is all about.
Some of my work involves getting software development teams to change the way they do things. One of the things I've noticed over the years is that people who are stressed, frustrated, or overworked are averse to change. It can lead to a downward spiral, where nobody has the time to improve things so they have more time.
Could that be a problem in this discussion?
I have a hard time telling how stressed or burnt out the average admin is, so this is an actual question, not a rhetorical one.
These are good points. It seems too that these stress factors also extend to preventing any change that could relieve that stress. It's a bit like having inward opening fire-escape doors that can't be opened because the crowd is pushing so tightly against them.
Your question is a valid one. How would you suggest that we go about testing that hypothesis.
Ec
Ray Saintonge wrote:
One of the things I've noticed over the years is that people who are stressed, frustrated, or overworked are averse to change. It can lead to a downward spiral, where nobody has the time to improve things so they have more time.
Could that be a problem in this discussion?
I have a hard time telling how stressed or burnt out the average admin is, so this is an actual question, not a rhetorical one.
These are good points. It seems too that these stress factors also extend to preventing any change that could relieve that stress. It's a bit like having inward opening fire-escape doors that can't be opened because the crowd is pushing so tightly against them.
Your question is a valid one. How would you suggest that we go about testing that hypothesis.
Hmm... Great question.
Almost all of the work I've done in this area is with groups small enough where I can just go ask people to get a feel for what's going on. That's not such a good option here.
The only starting point I can think of would be some sort of job satisfaction survey for admins, with additional questions to see how much time they're spending and on what. Has that been done recently? And if not, would people find that useful?
William