From 313bbce5379d5d64e7551403748438230f780c93 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Richard Darst Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2025 20:38:16 +0300 Subject: [PATCH] about/values-and-culture: Add reference on team values and culture - This is to help with onboarding new people (the sections come from some reference I was reading about what you should define as teams grow). - This is a draft based on ideas, discussion in the respective chat topic. --- about/index.rst | 1 + about/values-and-culture.rst | 117 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 118 insertions(+) create mode 100644 about/values-and-culture.rst diff --git a/about/index.rst b/about/index.rst index b23a3ee8c..484072097 100644 --- a/about/index.rst +++ b/about/index.rst @@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ Science-IT :maxdepth: 2 science-it + values-and-culture Science-IT is the organizational manifestation of Aalto Scientific Computing. diff --git a/about/values-and-culture.rst b/about/values-and-culture.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..6a80f39e7 --- /dev/null +++ b/about/values-and-culture.rst @@ -0,0 +1,117 @@ +Aalto SciComp values and culture +================================ + +As a team grows, it's useful to outline its values and the way it +works. This is our team's attempt at that. + + + +Core values +----------- + +1. We are researchers who aren't academics. +2. University research needs more than papers to succeed and help society. +3. Superstar team and processes, not superstar people. +4. Radical openness. + +Explanations: + +(1) **We are researchers who aren't academics**. Research is far more + than publications. We help round out the skillset that + high-performing teams need, even if we aren't directly involved in + publications. + +(2) **University research needs more than papers to succeed and help + society.** Software, data, and general skills are important + university impacts. We recognize this and help to keep it going. + +(3) **Superstar team and processes, not superstar people.** + "Superstar" isn't a good term because it glorifies single things, + but our society works because all the parts work together. Even + our team only works because it's a part of a broader university, + national, and international ecosystem. But still, if we have to + say something is our "superstar", it's the way our team works + together (people+processes), not any individual people. + +4. **Radical openness.** We are open by design, there are few reasons + to hide our work. Something doesn't have to be perfect to be + findable. We also want to set good examples for the university + community. + + + +Cultural practices +------------------ + +a. Remote first so that everyone can participate. +b. Working at the speed and chaos of the research. +c. Garage binds all our work together. +d. Work is quite independent but we always help each other first. +e. Technology is harder than it should be. +f. Helping people use technology is hard. We work hard to get good at it. +g. No private messages so we can work together. + +Explanations: + +(a) **Remote first so that everyone can participate.** We are + professionals in the middle of our careers. We have many things + going on besides work, which we need to allow people to work + around. All of our core activities should be attendable remotely, + so that our team members will never have to choose between their + personal life, health, etc. and taking part in the team. + + On the flip side, we understand the need for team connections and + try to have good team-building and customer-interaction events, + in-person and otherwise. + +(b) **Working at the speed and chaos of the research.** Research is + fast-paced and agile. We acknowledge this and try to work at that + speed, getting stuff done at the right speed for research and + development, even if it's not the perfect solution long-term. We + take these short-term lessons and work to make proper long-term + solutions once the patterns emerge. We can work this way because + we are close to the research. + +(c) **Garage binds all our work together.** The :doc:`/help/garage` + session is a time our team can come together to help others, but + also help ourselves. It allows us a time to chat with each other + (internally) without having to book a meeting every time. Garage + attendance isn't required every day, but people should come when + it makes sense. + +(d) **Work is quite independent but we always help each other first.** + Even though we work very independently, we are a team. We should + take the time to help each other first, since that keeps the whole + team running smoothly. + +(e) **Technology is harder than it should be.** These days, computing + is in every field (that's why we are here). But computing is + harder than it should be: there is so much stuff to learn, user + interfaces can be so esoteric, and there are so many different + paths to people's final goals. We acknowledge this and support + users where and how they are. We should never blame users for not + knowing enough, but blame the technology for being so difficult to + use. + +(f) **Helping people use technology is hard. We work hard to get good + at it.** Continuing from the above, it takes skill to help others + with technology. It's easy to fall into traps of user-blaming or + getting frustrated. We need intentional effort and practice to be + the best supporters we can be. + +(g) **No private messages so we can work together.** It's easy to + think "this is just noise, I will send private messages". But + that means that only a few people can answer and no one else + learns the solutions. Use public channels to ask generic + questions instead of choosing a recipient and asking them. Zulip + chat is good at organizing lots of information without a person + needing to read everything. Of course, purely personal matters + like absences, one-on-one meetings, continuing one-on-one work, is + quite fine by private message. + + + +Discussion +---------- + +(to be added)