{
  "author": {
    "name": "Dylan Fitzgerald",
    "url": "https://dylanfitzgerald.net/"
  },
  "blyg": "0.4",
  "changelog": [
    {
      "at": "2024-10-25T00:07:00Z",
      "note": "Imported from the Ctrl+Shift archive",
      "version": 1
    }
  ],
  "content_hash": "sha256:9210327c26a123b079d93908d1fcd8c3d60b1bb50d156fcc24734f221e1137b0",
  "content_html": "\u003ch1\u003eExperiments, not initiatives\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWant to sneak an idea into your organization and give it the best shot of taking root? Call it (and frame it as) an experiment. Make sure people know it’ll probably be irrelevant to their day-to-day, that it’s just a few people trying this thing for a set time box, that they’re invited to join but no pressure, and if you’re pressed by a deadline for something else, that’s fine; maybe skip this round.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://dylanfitzgerald.net/ox-hugo/daltoris_a_hand-drawn_cartoon_depiction_of_a_scientist_experi_77b47496-0e13-45dd-95a4-0723097729a4_2.jpeg\"\n\t\t\talt=\"hand-drawn cartoon depiction of a scientist experimenting in a chemistry lab\" width=\"40%\"\u003e\n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWant to ensure maximum organizational resistance to an idea? Call it (and frame it as) an initiative. Make sure people know it’s coming for them, that there’s a plan with phases and task forces, that it’s going to replace things they like or feel empowered over without real detail upfront over what that might be, and that most of them have no input because all the decisions have already been made.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://dylanfitzgerald.net/ox-hugo/daltoris_Screen_displaying_a_businessperson_discussing_a_new__3922d097-0939-4f7a-9a88-842de7147490_0.jpeg\"\n\t\t\talt=\"Screen displaying a businessperson discussing a new initiative, dystopian\" width=\"40%\"\u003e\n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat the idea itself actually is matters, but how it’s positioned often matters more.\u003c/p\u003e\n",
  "content_md": "# Experiments, not initiatives\n\nWant to sneak an idea into your organization and give it the best shot of taking root? Call it (and frame it as) an experiment. Make sure people know it’ll probably be irrelevant to their day-to-day, that it’s just a few people trying this thing for a set time box, that they’re invited to join but no pressure, and if you’re pressed by a deadline for something else, that’s fine; maybe skip this round.\n\n{{\u003c figure src=\"/ox-hugo/daltoris_a_hand-drawn_cartoon_depiction_of_a_scientist_experi_77b47496-0e13-45dd-95a4-0723097729a4_2.jpeg\" alt=\"hand-drawn cartoon depiction of a scientist experimenting in a chemistry lab\" width=\"40%\" \u003e}}\n\nWant to ensure maximum organizational resistance to an idea? Call it (and frame it as) an initiative. Make sure people know it’s coming for them, that there’s a plan with phases and task forces, that it’s going to replace things they like or feel empowered over without real detail upfront over what that might be, and that most of them have no input because all the decisions have already been made.\n\n{{\u003c figure src=\"/ox-hugo/daltoris_Screen_displaying_a_businessperson_discussing_a_new__3922d097-0939-4f7a-9a88-842de7147490_0.jpeg\" alt=\"Screen displaying a businessperson discussing a new initiative, dystopian\" width=\"40%\" \u003e}}\n\nWhat the idea itself actually is matters, but how it’s positioned often matters more.",
  "created": "2024-10-25T00:07:00Z",
  "id": "2rz0d7apwvjgvzcde0nse21k4c",
  "kind": "thread",
  "media": [],
  "origin": "https://dylanfitzgerald.net/blyg/",
  "page": "https://dylanfitzgerald.net/blog/experiments-not-initiatives/",
  "transclusions": [],
  "updated": "2024-10-25T00:07:00Z",
  "version": 1
}