Ruby on Ales 2016
Including People
#diversity-inclusion
#open-source
#ruby-community
#team-dynamics
#empathy
#documentation
#inclusivity
Summarized using AI
Including People
by André ArkoThe video titled 'Including People' features a talk by André Arko at Ruby on Ales 2016, focusing on the crucial themes of increasing participation in open source projects and fostering inclusivity while eliminating discrimination. André discusses the necessity of empathy within programming communities and the importance of incorporating diverse perspectives. He begins by introducing himself and his background in the Ruby community, particularly his work on the project Bundler and the Ruby Together initiative.
Key points discussed include:
- The Importance of Inclusion: Inclusion should replace the term diversity in discussions, as it emphasizes active participation rather than merely statistical representation.
- The Pitfalls of Bias: Many in the tech community operate under the misconception that meritocracy is fully realized, while studies reveal biases exist in hiring and evaluation processes.
- Addressing the Participation Gap: The audience is reminded that underrepresented individuals are present but face dismissal and bias, particularly in programming cultures that have historically marginalized them.
- Active Steps Toward Inclusivity: André outlines practical approaches to enhancing inclusivity in projects, including:
- Establishing a clear code of conduct.
- Improving documentation to make it accessible for newcomers.
- Actively inviting contributions from those who may feel intimidated.
- Responding positively to inquiries and issues raised by contributors to create a supportive environment.
- Respect and Empathy: He emphasizes that respect for the varying contexts of others, patience, and validating their experiences are essential in encouraging a collaborative working environment.
Throughout the talk, André shares personal insights and emphasizes that active engagement, proper communication, and the elimination of hostile attitudes are critical in making open-source projects welcoming. At the conclusion, he invites individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to actively engage with the Bundler project, promoting the notion that anyone striving for inclusivity can contribute positively to the community. The final message is about collective responsibility to foster an atmosphere where everyone feels capable and empowered to participate in tech and open-source projects.
00:00:14.719
Hey, all right! Uh, sorry, hi everyone.
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So, I guess this is more thematic than I realized when I urgently put this talk together and submitted it.
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This talk is about including people, and it’s also about working on open source and having empathy with people.
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So, I’m going to talk about including people in projects and in open source.
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But before I do that, let me introduce myself. I’m André Arko.
00:00:52.739
I am also known as Indirect on all the internet things; that’s actually my old avatar, and I didn’t update it.
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That was once my face on the internet, but that’s alright. I work at Cloud City Development.
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We do web and mobile development, and I mostly provide senior Rails consulting for teams in need.
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If that’s relevant to you, that’s definitely something we excel at.
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My coworker from Cloud City, Rain Hinrichs, will also be giving a talk later tomorrow, so that’s pretty cool.
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I co-authored a book called 'The Ruby Way,' third edition, helping to update it for Ruby 2.2 and 2.3.
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I’m biased, but I think it’s a really good book about Ruby.
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I work on a project you may have heard of called Bundler.
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Working on Bundler has been great because it allows me to connect with everyone in the Ruby community.
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It has been a really interesting and educational experience.
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I have Bundler stickers! I brought 100 just for you; come get one later.
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As Jonah said, I started Ruby Together, which is really just a way to help companies that need RubyGems.
00:02:06.869
They might not be able to afford to hire an entire person, so we offer a fraction of a person’s worth of work.
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Lots of companies find this approach beneficial, as everyone ends up with a lot of work for a small investment.
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I also have Ruby Together stickers; I brought 200 of those for you to collect later.
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At this point, it's clear that developers don't really care about business cards; they only care about stickers.
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So, you can expect to get stickered!
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Now, back to the inclusion theme.
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Right off the bat, I would like to point out that it’s kind of weird for me to talk about this.
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I’m a stereotypical default programmer dude; I’m white, male, and tall.
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People often assume I know what I’m talking about when I share my perspective, which can be convenient but also confusing and frustrating.
00:03:03.690
This talk is more the result of research and conversations with those who don’t fit into that stereotypical mold.
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The primary reason I’m giving this talk, instead of someone with more firsthand experience, is that I can still be considered technically competent.
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Unfortunately, underrepresented individuals often have their credibility questioned when addressing issues.
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So, here I am, sharing insights based on what I’ve learned.
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Much of this talk derives from my experiences in open source projects, predominantly Bundler, and the tenets discussed are universally applicable.
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If you primarily write software by yourself, maybe go grab a drink, but if you collaborate with others on software, keep listening.
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I’m going to outline my experiences, both good and bad, and the lessons learned through experimentation.
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Remember, what worked for me may not work for you, so experiment and adjust your approach based on results.
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I want to provide some background on the topic of diversity.
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I’ll discuss concrete steps you can take to improve diversity and inclusion in your projects.
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Diversity, as a topic, has garnered much attention lately, but there remains a troubling history of sexism and harassment in the tech industry.
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When Bloomberg published an article that attempted to define programming, Ruby was mentioned only in the context of it being a community full of sexist behavior.
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This reputation is problematic, especially since many in the Ruby community are not in fact sexist.
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Over the last few years, I’ve engaged in extensive talks and research on this issue and aim to summarize my findings.
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To begin with, it’s essential to note that 'diversity' is not the ideal term to address this situation.
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Underrepresented groups are not absent; they do exist, as seen in the graduation statistics from computer science programs.
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The real problem lies in workplaces where their opinions are often dismissed, their feedback is ignored, and their technical skills are doubted.
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Here’s the most direct way to increase inclusion: stop just talking about diversity and start actively including people.
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Inclusion should be about fostering a welcoming environment, not about achieving a well-divided pie chart.
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Now, during these discussions, some claim, 'But I felt welcome.' Unfortunately, this viewpoint is typically misguided.
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There are countless instances where individuals are denied access to education, jobs, and promotions simply due to biases.
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Co-workers and managers, along with executives, perpetuate these biases.
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Certain individuals' contributions are unjustifiably overvalued based on their demographic characteristics.
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For instance, research shows that even minor modifications to names, races, or genders on resumes can lead to entirely different hiring outcomes.
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The issue is persistent across not only the Ruby community but within the entire tech industry.
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Despite evidence pointing to bias in tech hiring, there's prevalent denial of this issue.
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People often assert that the digital industry operates as a meritocracy where contributions are the sole measure of value.
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Sadly, research indicates that evaluation processes become even more biased in organizations that profess meritocracy.
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When individuals receive rewards for their actions, they tend to believe those rewards were intrinsically deserved.
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Ultimately, if individuals aren't rewarded similarly, they are presumed to be less capable, which is far from accurate.
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Additionally, the notion that underrepresented groups are a product of a pipeline problem is misleading.
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There are sufficient individuals pursuing computer science degrees, yet many remain unable to secure jobs in tech.
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Historically, computing was a field 100% dominated by women.
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As programming jobs became more prestigious, women quickly decreased in participation.
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Now, programming comprises less than a quarter of women, a concerning downward trend.
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The issue isn't a lack of women in the field, but rather how we act and include different individuals.
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To address the diversity issue, some individuals suggest that they will consider hiring diverse teams if it provides financial gains.
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However, companies often cling to their biases, ignoring research that confirms diverse teams yield greater productivity.
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They still prefer to hire non-diverse teams, which requires less effort despite resulting in poorer outcomes.
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It's important to note that treating any group of individuals as inherently inferior is unacceptable.
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Attempts at diversity solely for productivity enhancements are doomed to fail because they lack genuine inclusion.
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If your interest in diversity isn’t about including people, achieving diversity will be impossible.
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Since you’re here, it seems that you genuinely care about including people.
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Inclusion isn't just a checklist of statements; it’s an attitude to adopt during social interactions.
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This attitude must actively counter the prevailing hostile demeanor found in open source communities and programming.
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In any open source or software project, there are generally three groups involved: end users, potential contributors, and the existing team.
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It’s common to be inclusive of one group while being hostile to others.
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For example, end users are welcomed, but contributors may be insulted and belittled, which is not a constructive approach.
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It’s crucial to include everyone: contributors and users, not just the project team.
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Let’s start with how to be welcoming to end users.
00:09:12.920
Ensure your project’s end-users feel welcomed and included, regardless of whether it's open or closed source.
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Even if the user is just you, treating them with respect is essential.
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Pay attention to how documentation refers to the user; avoid using exclusively male pronouns.
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Additionally, ensure that error messages aren't dismissive. Being considerate in communication is fundamental.
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A strong first step is to establish a code of conduct. There are many examples out there.
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Coraline Ada Ehmke, who unfortunately could not attend this conference, created the Contributor Covenant.
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She actively updates this template to ensure inclusivity in projects.
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The purpose of the code is to provide a safe space for users to discuss issues without any fear of harassment.
00:10:10.960
Chances are that individuals from underrepresented groups hesitate to participate in projects, feeling they’ll only receive backlash.
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The next major aspect is documentation, which is often less comprehensive than you believe.
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Many projects are embarrassed by their documentation; that’s understandable.
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However, the groundwork for inclusive documentation is straightforward.
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Use 'she' or 'they' instead of 'he' when necessary.
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Your documentation should also be welcoming towards newcomers.
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Many projects unintentionally alienate newcomers with jargon-laden documentation.
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It would benefit your project to find newcomers to explain how it works and write documentation.
00:11:02.320
Jacob Kaplan-Moss gave a fantastic talk called 'Writing Great Documentation,' highlighting key documentation types.
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First, provide tutorials that offer clear steps to accomplish tasks.
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Consider writing comprehensive topic guides explaining single topics in detail.
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An API reference is also vital, as users may need specific method names or parameters.
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Lastly, include troubleshooting documentation for problems users may encounter.
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When writing code, have it anticipate problems and provide helpful messages or direct actions.
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For instance, if a user encounters a specific issue, guide them to possible solutions rather than dismissing them.
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How your project addresses issues is a strong indicator of its inclusivity.
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Responding to issues with negativity alienates potential contributors.
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Assume reports come from users with legitimate experiences.
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Start by showing appreciation for their efforts and guide them to solutions.
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Ensure that communication channels, such as Slack or email, also adhere to your code of conduct.
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Enforce the code across all interactions, especially from anyone representing the project.
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Harassment and hostile attitudes should never be acceptable in any form.
00:12:35.060
It’s imperative to enforce the code on everyone, regardless of their perceived importance.
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A toxic individual can deter many talented contributors who might otherwise be eager to help.
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Now, let’s shift focus to welcoming contributors.
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Everything I discussed about being welcoming to users similarly applies to contributors.
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Creating a safe environment free from harassment is essential for attracting contributors.
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Documentation plays a critical role, but you can implement additional strategies to welcome them.
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One of the most effective ways is to actively ask individuals for help.
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Many people mistakenly believe they should be experts before contributing, but this is often not the case.
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Engaging with newcomers helps to bridge gaps in understanding and generates a wealth of beneficial insights.
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I often invite people to pair up for an hour, allowing them to learn more about contributing.
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After that, they can decide if they feel ready to handle tasks independently.
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It’s important to differentiate between user-facing documentation and development documentation.
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Provide guidance on checking out projects, setting up dependencies, and running tests.
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Communicate policies for contributors clearly, including criteria for accepting pull requests.
00:14:05.480
If there are recurring tasks, document them meticulously to streamline the process.
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For instance, specifying areas where contributions are most needed can motivate newcomers.
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Share a document explicitly stating that even if you just spot typos, you are welcome as a contributor.
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Ensure you express gratitude and make newcomers feel empowered in their contributions.
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Remember, when reviewing pull requests, take the time to understand their context.
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Acknowledge the effort people have made when they submit changes, even if they don’t work.
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Show that you value their input and are willing to help solve any challenges they might face.
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Applying these principles to your team is just as essential.
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Address any code of conduct infringements aimed at team members and offer them support.
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Communicate your appreciation for their input and apply the same respectful treatment.
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Concluding, everything I have suggested stems from the fundamental principle of respect and empathy.
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Remember that others don’t share your context or skills; they’re only trying to do their job.
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They can perceive your intentions—helpful or harmful.
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Instead of treating others how you wish to be treated, consider the context they exist in.
00:15:35.490
Respect and empathy should guide your interactions.
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Listen to those in underrepresented communities, observe how they are often mistreated, and take action.
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Address problems when they occur, make people feel included, and promote inclusivity.
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Tech as a field holds biases, but our collective efforts can drive change.
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As a final note, I manage a popular open source project and strive to expand our team.
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I invite anyone who has felt intimidated or excluded to discuss contributing.
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My goal is to enhance inclusivity in Bundler and inspire others to create welcoming environments.
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Let's work together to foster an atmosphere where all individuals feel capable and empowered.
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That’s it!
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