Re: On Office Politics and Being the New Kid

[Jenn Wilson <jenn -at- mylar -dot- outflux -dot- net>]

Hello, Lori --

Others have already covered the "office politics" side of this very well, 
and the advice is excellent.  I'll add a few blips:

You mention that these writeups are for internal procedures, and it sounds 
like the documents are (sorta) training materials for new and existing 
employees.  My main question is one of context:  are they meant to 
supplement a broader program?  Or is there a big focus on self-directed 
learning, in terms of more than just the writeups?  What additional 
resources are available to new employees?  What is the intranet 
administrator's role in all of this -- is she openly responsible for 
training as a whole, or just the documentation that supports the aim?

In any case, geez, it's counterproductive of her to dictate the way other 
people "should" learn.  Good resources should support a range of learning 
styles.

If I were in your shoes, once I felt comfortable overall with the 
interpersonal risk, I'd invite some kind of dialogue about the broader 
scope of training and internal resources.  As a new user, your perspective 
on the learning curve should carry some solid weight.  You've got a great 
opportunity to show that you understand how documentation (a variety of 
types!) can fit into a grander scheme... and to remind this administrator 
that, yes, of course you're all on the same side here.

I'd probably stay away from supporting your point with adult learning 
theory, statistics, etc., at least early on.  My guess is that these folks 
might not have the context or perspective to appreciate it.  However, I'll 
bet they relate well to concerns about productivity, and also to helping 
new users learn more efficiently and thus start adding value to the 
organization even sooner.

It sounds like the existing materials could work well as reminders or 
checklists for users who are already fluent in the basics, but need an 
occasional reminder.  In other words, maybe there's a way around flat-out 
replacing the original docs altogether, which could ease the friction!  A 
lot of companies issue "Quick Start" guides as well as more granular 
documentation, and that can let _the users themselves_ choose what they 
need at any point in time.

Oh, and when I've followed in the proverbial footsteps of those who wrote 
before me, I've usually found that statements like "I'm not a writer! 
Please let me know what's missing!" often mean "Make sure you lead with a 
couple of compliments, because I already feel a little insecure about this 
work."  :)

Whether or not it's appropriate or professional to do so, we all invest in 
our projects in different ways.  On a purely personal level, I'm sure 
she'd appreciate some kudos -- after all, whether she volunteered to write 
this stuff up or was assigned the project, she did venture outside her 
comfort zone.  And she might not have received much feedback on it from 
your (her? any?) manager.  I'm sure many of us have been there at some 
point or another...

Good luck with all of this!


-j


On Mon, 6 Feb 2006, Lori Olcott wrote: