On sharing learning
In early autumn 2021, I started a new role in the Culture, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion team (CEDI) at The Wellcome Trust, with a view to setting up a new insight and learning function for the newly expanded team.
There are three work streams we are developing:
- A scanning and discovery function, where we will learn from best practice and connect to a community of practitioners tackling similar challenges.
- An enhanced monitoring, evaluation and learning function, where we will evidence our impact and iterate our work based on insights and learning.
- A sharing learning and insight function, where we will contribute to the field and practice of driving equity, diversity and inclusion.
This last stream is a particularly important one for me — as a responsible funder, with access to resources that will enable us to build on the brilliant learning from others, it’s important that we too share our learning. There are several challenges to this, however, not least because sharing learning can feel like an added extra to an already long to-do list of activities which might feel more pressing.
Emerging from chats within the team, and wider reflections on what I like to think of as a range of ‘autopilot practices’ to sharing learning, here are three shifts we plan to explore further in 2022.
Sharing along the journey, as well as at the end
Often, sharing work externally tends to take place at an end — end of a project, end of one’s time in a role, or at the end of the year — where there are outputs to share, conclusions to make, or an announcement of a ‘what next?’.
A consequence of this (intended or not) is that the work is often sanitised –there’s a ‘shininess’ to the story, with a bias towards positive reflections and impact. The barriers and obstacles we had to overcome, the things we got wrong, or the moments where we needed to take a pause or rethink, rarely get a mention.
There are many benefits to sharing at the end, but if we are truly open to sharing so that others can learn from us, then we need to become comfortable with being more transparent, and sharing throughout the process.
In the CEDI team, we often talk about the ‘crunchiness’ of our work (a term first coined by Lauren Couch). Things never go as smoothly as we hoped, there are often challenges, many unforeseen. But this crunchiness is expected and we are learning to lean into it.
If our role is to fundamentally improve existing structures, practices and policies to drive equity, diversity and inclusion, this also means shifting ways of thinking, doing and being within the workplace, many of which have been set for a very long time. If the work is not ‘crunchy’, we’re not doing the work.
Hearing reflections from all those involved in driving change, as well as from the top
If you have read around unconscious biases in the workplace, then perhaps you have come across the HIPPO effect. This is the bias towards the opinion of the highest paid person, be that at a decision-making meeting, a discussion about the challenges we see in the world, or solutions at which to solve them. The same often applies to those whose voices are platformed at conferences, or those who are invited to write a thought leadership piece for a publication.
Although there are many instances where it’s important to hear reflections from senior leaders, it often means we are left hearing from a single view — a view from the top.
Useful insights into what it takes to create change can be found across all actors involved in delivering a piece of work, especially those who work across levels of seniority and internal and external partners, delivering on operations, project management, communications, decision making and programme design.
Furthermore, at Wellcome we have almost 600 employees, bringing together a huge range of skills, expertise and perspectives to help us achieve our new strategy. Over the coming years, the CEDI team will be further supporting our colleagues to play their own role in driving Wellcome’s equity, diversity and inclusion outcomes. These colleagues will have plenty of wisdom to share about the crunchiness of the work, and it’s important we create space for this valuable learning to be heard too.
Embracing alternative formats for sharing learning, as well as the written form
Shared learning often takes the format of the written word. Often viewed as the most effective method for thought leadership and building credibility, writing tends to be prioritised as the main format in platforms that share professional insights (Medium, Linkedin, Substack, to name a few). But there are several barriers to writing.
Writing takes a lot of time, energy and practice, even for the most adept writers. Pre-planning and drafting is required, and often there’s a sign-off procedure to undertake before publishing. Writing for an external audience can also be nerve-wracking. I continue to experience this with my own writing, which means it often takes me longer to complete (I was meant to publish this very article back in November!)
Writing also feels very final — once it’s out there, you can’t take it back. If you change your mind or your thinking has evolved, your content can feel quite dated – another fear to prevent you from writing!
Furthermore, most platforms for sharing learning are designed to be authored by a single person. This reinforces individualism in thought leadership, removing an opportunity to present collective insight or credit those who have helped to shape your thinking. It’s just not very inclusive.
All these things reduce our appetite and interest to share learning. But we could try other formats which are far more successful in showcasing diverse perspectives, ones which give a sense of informality and transience, such as podcasts, twitter or Clubhouse. If we want to share our learning and insights in a form that’s manageable alongside our work, and in a way where we don’t feel we are having to sacrifice something in its place, we might need to embrace alternative formats.
What’s next for our work in sharing learning
Over the next year, I hope to get a deeper understanding of what foundations we need in place to support us to share our work more often, both during and at the end of a project, whilst also ensuring we hear from a range of voices, and through a variety of mediums.
There are a several other challenges we will look to unpick further. A big one for me is on authorship and accreditation – Who synthesises collective insights and receives recognition as a byproduct through authoring. Lots of thoughts still evolving here.
I plan to share more as we go (hopefully in a different format!) but in the meantime, I’d love to hear if you are also exploring this space, and if you have any further reflections on the challenges and opportunities of sharing learning.
