You Tube Channels and Google Hangouts Integration - Qualitative observations about limited interactions and "group think"

My original research idea for an Applied Social Psychology naturalistic and qualitative study in the I/O Psychology Ph.D. program and an "Applied Social Psychology" seminar that I am attending seemed to promise plenty of opportunities for original research and data analysis.

For the research study I chose to look at social behavior and possibilities of "group think" on YouTube channels and integrated Google hangouts and in particular the almost weekly "Immediate Response Team" (IRT) show on the "Lives with Meredith" YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm-S8Dzs69A.

The "IRTs" are essentially weekly live streaming news shows with accompanying opportunities to comment on what is being watched in the show by audience members. My challenge however has been that I picked a show that did not get many viewers to interact with the live streaming content and hosts yet but that is in part due to the fact that the hosts are not taking the time to look at audience members comments and allow for the opportunity to ask questions in a more interactive social format.

For the purpose of this blog post I took out the more academic aspects of my research and list observations and recommendations more in line with media psychology and popular television theory and criticism. For my final academic research project however I am currently exploring also other shows that are on YouTube that use associated google hangouts which allow for live interaction with and between audience members in a social circle that is solely online amongst anonymous group viewers.

But for now here are some basic social psychology findings about the "Instant Response Team" on the "Lives with Meredith Channel":

1. Audience members are hesitant in commenting. Many who sign up and view (a few hundred) never take advantage of actively participating and commenting. And those who do all have the following in common.

2. They do not like to use their real name and picture. Some are just posting a picture and first name.

3. They also do not want to post anything highly controversial but instead rather agree with what is being said during the show. This supports the notion that online and live stream events where audience members participate are engaging in "group think" (Janis, 1972).

4. They never comment on other viewers but instead just comment on what is being said in the live stream show by known guests. Social engagement and a sense of community is therefore not being built amongst audience members who participate. Web 3.0 capabilities that allow the audience members to become the co-creators are not taken advantage of.

5. They comment with just a word or a phrase and never go into detail with a full sentence or more.

6. They do not criticize and instead rather applaud or encourage opinions voiced by those on the show with comments like: "Well said"

When I looked at this channel and the online version of participation between show hosts, guests, and audience members in a live format it seemed like a great example of a social media application that includes not only Web 1.0 and 2.0 features but also Web 3.0 features as the audience members have the opportunity to become co-creators and drive show content.

I looked at the quality of interactions by looking at the number of viewers and how long and how much they interact with the hosts and guests as well as other audience members in this qualitative study that I am also interested in switching to a mixed study that includes quantitative data. I also looked the quality of their comments. All of these seem rather limited despite the variety of topics that many more typically relate to on regular television and on other YouTube Channels.

I did not interfere to make sure that I reduce the potential of a bias error and strictly took the position of outside observer in the last two shows while I interacted previously to get a better feel for also experiencing the show as an audience member.

For the purpose of this social psychology study I am particular interested in group think theory and if audience members are subjected to limiting themselves to "group think" and so far my limited observations prove to be supporting the findings.

Again, I look forward to checking out one or two more shows on this channel but also look forward to watching other more popular channels this week so I can gather more relevant data about audiences being more submissive and reliant on group consensus which does not allow for seeing individual contributions, opinions and personalities which I argue would make these shows actually more effective and interesting for audience members but that falls more into media psychology and television theory research.

One final observation: it is not part of this study but worth examining is the hosts and guests participation levels and their challenges in trying to keep up with and integrating viewer responses and comments.

It might be worth it exploring in a separate study the quality of live streaming shows and associated google hangouts and limited opportunities for social interaction unless the comments are consciously being made part of the show. That would mean that hosts are proactively engaging not only with guests on the show but also audience members. Instead of scripts and questions for the entire show it might be worth it just picking a theme and then integrating the audience by asking them to ask questions more proactively in the comments section.

Suggestion to the show hosts and producers:

1. Integrate audience comments by looking at those after every question that guests on show answered. Make it more of a conversation and worry less about racing through all questions. Quality and engagement can drive the show as much as quantity of questions covered.

2. Allow audience members to ask questions by encouraging them actively throughout the show to post their questions and then picking them.

3. As there is more audience involvement maybe less topics need to be picked.

4. Allow audience members to pick topics they want to discuss in poll and/or focus group online before show.

5. Continue conversation by not just posting and re-posting show content but by actively engaging with audience members after show. Polls, contests, audience members' v-blogs and blog posts could also be encouraged.

6. Length and time of show. The show is at a time of day where almost nobody can watch the entire 40-60 min. show. It might make more sense to limit the show like it used to just to 30 min. and ask producers and hosts to pick questions while driving engagement without getting carried away. Guests could be reminded to answer in 2 min. max answer formats before being gently reminded. Time of day might also be an issue and maybe there could be some experimenting with the time, e.g. 9am PST/12pm PST.

Ultimate goal of the "Instant response team" can either be sharing news or ideally allowing for the building and continuation of a sense of an online community. Useful exercise for the show creators would be to instead of looking at the "what" looking at the "why" and then the how and "what" which is a mindset that Simon Sinek make popular in his Ted Talk and associated Book "Start with Why". (Simon Sinek, 2011).

References

Janis, I.L. (1972). Victims of groupthink. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2012). Applied social psychology: Understandingand addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Sinek, Simon (2011). Start with Why. Retrieved from http://www.startwithwhy.com

Strickland, Jonathan (2013). How Web 3.0 will work. Retrieved from: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/web-30.htm

About the author: Patricia Anglano has two Masters degrees from the University of Southern California in Cinema-TV and Linguistics. She also is completing a Ph.D. in I/O Psychology with focus on organizational and media psychology.

Agile Media Producer Program

Please contact me today for training programs: patricia@agilemediaconsulting.com for pricing and start dates.

NEW in Fall 2013: Agile Media Producer Program

Customized for Media, Entertainment and Technology companies and the products they develop.

Foundation Track Options:

1.Agile Product Owner

2.Agile Scrum Master 

Advanced Track Options:

(Note: for successful candidates who completed both foundation tracks and who have worked with Agile Media Consulting for at least 1 year - a 1-year program in your 2nd year while you are working with clients)

1. Agile Media Strategist

2. Agile Media Coach

The foundation track is a 40-hour program (either Product Owner or Scrum Master) that consists of 20 hours of applied theory and 20 hours of hands-on training while working with me as a coach at client companies. You can also choose both foundation tracks which prepare you for the advanced track. There are optional add-on courses in the curriculum to allow you to deepen your knowledge like "Agile Team Assessments" or "Jira and Confluence Configuration Management". 

You can do this program while working at a company or do it on your own with a flexible schedule for the theory component. For the practical application component I join you at your company and coach you and help apply the knowledge per your teams' needs or if you are not with a company you shadow me doing my work with clients.

You always have a coach you can call if you have questions as we offer you an on-going Mentorship program.  You also receive a certificate of completing theory and practicum with a recommendation for your Agile job while showing that you are participating in the mentorship program and receive my company's support to help you succeed.

Why?

1. Many Scrum Masters and Product Owners have limited training or limited experience applying. We help team members in your company and optimize not only teams but also key team members with the optimization of their knowledge and application of Scrum and Kanban practices. 

2. We also introduce Product Owners, UX designers, QA to Agile and help apply it. 

3. If you are a traditional Media Producer or TPM and want to learn Agile and prove you have experience this is great for you as well. There is the option of becoming an Agile Media Consulting team member and make it a career.

The Government Health Care website and its REAL problems

So I am having lunch with a friend and business associate who happens to have a lot of experience as well with working with technology companies and offshore teams. We are both discussing regular business and give each other updates on our projects. But then the conversation switches to what is going on with the government health care website.

I comment that it is interesting that unlike with most other projects there is no technical lead or Project Manager who speaks up, there are no schedules shared or technical issues as they might relate to the information architecture or design or simply poor management practices. There is a grin on my friend's face before I continue to state what is REALLY going on. The absence of leads makes it clear that they do not want to show who worked on the site, and we know why.

My friend Ray points out that CGI is really a Canadian company. They are handling the development and they are known to offshore development work to their India teams especially since they bought another company based in India for cheap offshore work. Ah, I say, well, I guess they could and would not want to disclose that our American government websites are handled outside the U.S. by India developers who as usual are facing major difficulties if not managed properly. In the meanwhile great talent here is not being utilized and no jobs are filled in the U.S to work on government projects. We all have a right to be upset indeed!

I know what I am talking about as I worked for Cognizant. It is a U.S. based consulting company but most of their employes and all development is done in India. All we are asked to do in the U.S. is business development and client management - and not planned but often true RESCUE projects that India teams could not handle. Sad but true, Cognizant is a Fortune 500 consulting firm and I could not and will not work for them ever again after seeing how territorial and outright hostile the majority of India based management teams became towards us in the U.S.

Why you might ask did the government not disclose who the technical teams are behind the health care website? Maybe it is because they feared they would be exposed and called redundant and not as money-saving as they claim they were. Often times the India based teams are only costing one-third but the quality of their work is nowhere nearly as good as what we can produce in the U.S. especially when we do not provide solid project management and user experience design, information architecture, visual design, and pretty much everything else other than just coding. That is because they do not understand the cultural nuances of products and services and in my opinion also often do not care as much as we do. There is a sense of pride that comes from working with U.S. based companies and team members. We all take part in something bigger and feel strongly about succeeding and not just delivering a part of a component and then getting paid without knowing the customer base.

And I am an immigrant and very much in support of outsourcing and limited offshoring where it is not just all about profits but quality and taking care of your people and country. I don't care where you are but as a PM lead I am interested in hiring the best and using the best practices to succeed. That is what made America and American customer service successful. So for those stating I am discriminating against foreign workers stop right here, I do care about immigration and bringing the best and brightest here and like to work with teams in other countries. But it has to make sense and from experience I know that the savings claimed with offshore teams are set off by expensive costs fixing and managing later on often by teams and leaders in the U.S.

Now, I actually developed a documentary that talks about excessive offshoring of work to foreign teams in India and other countries where work is cheaper. I placed it on Kickstarter for support and received nasty emails and even threats from both Indians and those in the U.S. who profit from offshoring where profit is placed over people. The name of the documentary is: Americans for Hire!

I stopped the Kickstarter campaign as a result as I felt misunderstood and have secured private funding instead but wanted to wait for and research additional developments that include work being brought back to the U.S. as companies learn that really offshoring does not mean cheaper but often not good and more expensive as projects need to get rescued. This doc is still in development and we would love your support and collaboration. We are here to reveal all sides and be objective while looking at actual projects so nobody can claim we are just one-sided and against offshoring.

This issue is not widely known unless you work in Technology. Many in the U.S. would not even think about asking about listening to technical leads and directors in charge of the healthcare government site. Then there are others who just blame poor project management: 

http://www.projectmanagers.net/i/is-poor-project-management-to-blame-for-the-launch-of-the-obamacare-site/

In my opinion this is very short-sighted as they do not even know who developed it. Can you imagine listening to India developers and Project Managers talking in a U.S. congressional hearing about why they could not get the U.S. healthcare website up and running? Rightfully many would ask why we did not hire American developers and an American company to produce this website and related services. Where did our tax dollars just go?  I think we all have a right to be upset.

And I am speaking as an Obama supporter as usual but it bothers me that our government is not disclosing to us who is working on the site. President Obama himself even claimed that the best and brightest in our country are working on fixing the site. Really? How come they do not speak up? 

I would like to see a solid project management plan and the tech leads explain what exactly is broken and how it can get fixed. 

As an Agile methodology coach and consultant with my own company: Agile Media Consulting and a very experienced Technical Project Manager (TPM) and Practice Director I also know that the problem is in the project management methodology. You do not wait to test or what we call QA (Quality Assurance) until the end before launch.  You develop in smaller chunks or iterations and test continuously. You have teams communicate daily and work on blockers as they come up and present work that is ready for launch well in advance. You release in smaller releases and then test until the site is ready. Applying Agile methodologies in this project is completely possible even though it is late in the game. 

India teams I should point out are hesitant in using Agile as it means that they have to be fully transparent and communicative. That is because 1. their English communication skills are often very limited and 2. they culturally are not as open as we are. Daily meetings with India developers proved to be difficult and many became actually hostile towards us leads at first. Some also did not respect working with female leaders and I personally filed a complaint alleging being discriminated against as a woman while at Cognizant. Nothing happened as usual and I was offered to work in a different division instead which I passed on and rather worked in my own consulting practice where I can pick my teams and clients.

Here is what a client wrote about me as a recommendation which is posted on my Linkedin profile: 

Thomas Emmons

Big Data & Machine Learning Guru

Patricia's leadership skills and mobile expertise were key to the success of our Kindle Fire application development. She drove the offshore development/UX/QA and was a tireless voice for sound mobile principals.

We'd have been lost without her efforts.

May 10, 2012, Thomas was with another company when working with Patricia at Cognizant Technology Solutions

Thomas who is American and based in Chicago, IL, worked for the client and was great to work with. I was asked after rescuing two projects for Cognizant to be helping on another important application by VPs at Kaplan but Cognizant would not let me as I would be too expensive as a U.S. based resource plus I was known and obviously still am known to speak up because I like to truly help and succeed.

Just today I spoke up again and posted on both my Linkedin and my Twitter #agilemediacoach:

I am serious, I would like to help fix this website and would like to help as a consultant by applying a solid project management methodology and help assemble teams that can actually help while overseeing the process. I have a lot of experience building and supporting high-performing teams and I would like to work with India-based teams and others but would make it clear that we need to hire whoever can actually help fix this site in time for launch. That would most likely mean that we have a lot more technical talent and help including architects and Project Managers here in the U.S. Non-performers would be replaced. Responsibility needs to be taken by technical leads and not just government officials.  I ask all my team members to own what they do and care like it is their family or their own company. Agile methodology helps empower and bring out the best in team members which is why I love coaching the methodology.

It is time for us to speak up. If you are in the technical development industry join me and let's help our country and government fix this site. I am not convinced as we have no insight and no technical leads speaking up right now that they know how to fix this site. I know the best and brightest and they are not working on the site right now, President Obama! Let us help you!

TV 1.0 meets WEB 2.0 and 3.0 - The Lives with Meredith YouTube Channel and Hangouts

A few thoughts on TV 1.0 meets Web 2.0 and 3.0 in the discussion of the Lives with Meredith YouTube Channel:

I just got back from a meeting with a fellow advisor and consultant to both traditional media and digital media companies here in Los Angeles. One of the topics that came up as we talked about collaborating on projects was YouTube and Google+ apps integration alongside a deeper discussion of bringing Agile processes and tools to traditional Media companies which also have digital products and services alongside their traditional media products.

YouTube was acquired by Google in 2006 and not much seems to have changed on the user experience side is our concern. YouTube still has very limited post-production tools and there is a limited and only awkward integration of other Google+ applications like Google hangouts in YouTube. For those of you live streaming shows you still need to go to a completely different app and Google+ page to also create a google hangout which then by the way does not get automatically integrated into the YouTube Channel and specific show that is being streamed live on YouTube. I talked about the experience itself in a YouTube daily coach and consultant episode which can be viewed here:

There were companies like Airtime that failed as a start-up that tried to integrate live chats with video streaming. If successful they would have been a perfect opportunity for Google. Other companies like WeVideo are producing platforms that allow viewers to upload content and stay organized. But Google seems to be somewhat content with just handling issues by specific customer demand instead of coming up with an integrated solution for all.

This leads to me to looking at a specific example of a YouTube channel that originally was just advertised as an experiment and a lab for a daytime talk show by the host herself Meredith Vieira.
The YouTube channel "Lives with Meredith" promises a sense of community for women age 25-54 which is slightly narrower than what the Producers are probably striving for on the to be widely televised daytime talk show that sold in over 60% of the U.S. television markets and households.

There are various components which are introduced in an introductory video by Meredith herself with no mention of a TV show she is developing for next summer. The striving for a sense of community is highlighted with the mention of "real talk by real women" and "overshare" and "instant response team". The channel itself advertises twice a week shows with Mondays being 5-10 min. shows focused on a person of interest or topic like transgender women while the Thursday google hangouts are used to give the instant response team various topics up for discussion in live streaming and commenting by users who are watching the Google+hangouts amongst women on the Instant response team.

First of all let me comment on the Monday show. The topics are interesting and the women presented are talking freely about what they are experiencing. Topics are original and thought-provoking although because of the focus on marginal groups and topics one has to wonder how many viewers are truly interested in finding out more about Kimberly Ray Miller and growing up in a family of hoarders. Kimberly's video on "The Squatter" has only 21 views (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y3UpZ2-pXc) as part of the "overshare" series while the channel itself and the actual Kimberly Ray Miller video on her growing up has over 20,000 views (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejkG3aT1S6I&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL38BovwdtPhGG2BV6PvKkOrdTvD9EIVjJ).
These numbers do not translate well when compared to television AND other popular YouTube content and shows that get numbers in the millions.

It is unclear what Meredith Vieira and Iconic TV who is behind the Lives with Meredith YouTube channel and produces it, are looking for. Are they just thinking of this as a lab and experiment to try new show content and help develop the Meredith Vieira talk show or are they also trying to get a feel of if it is possible to produce TV shows and associated YouTube and Google+content in synchronicity. In either case it is smart for them to build the viewer base and buzz as YouTube gets bigger although some might claim the low viewer numbers and specific content that caters to women only and minority-focused groups and causes can also hurt Meredith Vieira's reputation. But it would also help to understand more clearly what the focus is over time so viewers are not in the dark as to where this channel goes and what is to be expected. The "sense of community" aspect of the show is not clear at all yet and there is no opportunity to feel connected to Meredith or other subscribers yet which makes this channel and content come across as stuck in TV 1.0 land versus Web 2.0 and 3.0 that YouTube makes possible.

My take is that it can help if Meredith is actually making it clear that she stands not only behind it but also drives all content and episodes and simply appears more often while not hiding behind the very obvious veil of TV 1.0. Viewer numbers for her special "Pet Hangout" this Monday are not disclosed but the comments section shows that only about a dozen viewers chose to interact and comment or ask questions while the show was streamed live. I participated just like I participated in the "instant response team" weekly hangouts to observe how viewers are utilizing hangouts to interact with live streaming content. It is part of an applied social psychology research study I am currently developing as part of an organizational psychology Ph.D. program seminar where all my work is focused on media and organizations in the digital age.


The observations make my point I noted very clear: TV 1.0 seems to meet Web 2.0. Meredith seems very focused on doing her usual interview style shows but a little uneasy while communicating interactively with the audience and with interviewing those who joined live via YouTube and a hangout. That is not surprising as live feeds can drop but that also happens on TV to this day whether you are watching an interview on NBC's "Today show" or CNN live programming for example. This Monday little Jasper almost did not make it on the live stream but the feed was quickly fixed and he even joined Meredith live:

My first thought when I watched her intro video this July for Lives with Meredith was that she is going to have Google hangouts with a select number of viewers or subscribers to her YouTube channel. She even mentioned pajama parties and intimate conversations. But none of that has been offered yet. Instead we have the opportunity to watch a well-produced show with clear definitions of format and content as defined by traditional television which I named for this purpose TV 1.0. The only user-generated aspect seems associated with a comments section and if a user gets lucky their question (but not comment) gets picked and Meredith asks a guest on the show to answer it. Not very interactive and certainly not like a hangout as advertised where the viewers themselves become part of the show.

There is of course the problem with controlling content and viewers and one way of overcoming that if there were to be a google hangout is to allow 1. a limited number of viewers, 2. select a topic and make it clear that the topic is all that would need to be discussed, and 3. moderate AND monitor viewers consistently. Community psychology as a sub-specialty under applied social psychology addresses issues around creating communities and allowing for social interaction and it might be worth looking at studies that suggest what it means to create successful communities which can inspire social change and action and in my opinion also create a sense for and positive standard of media and social responsibility.

The risks of online content that seems unmoderated in user-generated formats are not higher than on a live TV show really where for example a viewer's feed can be cut if the talk cannot be controlled instantly. TV 1.0 means however that those who like to be the start on TV and want to control while promoting themselves and their shows have to give up that spot on the stage temporarily and step down to be with the crowd. That is really what caused viewers and regular people to be successful on YouTube in the first place which is a great example of Web 3.0 where everyone can own their own media company and be their own brand while monetizing with an infinite number of viewers as they broadcast as their own network. How do celebrities and TV show hosts and journalists like Meredith Vieira fit into this successful model and what can they do to not loose their TV 1.0 personality and take away from their brand while building momentum in the digital space using Web 2.0 and even 3.0 features?

Media companies increasingly hire digital media strategists to help produce this type of content and create valuable and valued user experiences that sync up and support TV and digital content. Companies like Iconic TV provide valuable production services associated with the strategy services they provide which is smart and their focus on YouTube demonstrates the shifts that occur as TV and also film are moving into Web 2.0 and 3.0. But have we all figured it out? We are on our way but it is all highly experimental which makes it interesting is my observation also after attending the Digital Hollywood conference last week here in Los Angeles where I heard TV network, major studio and internet companies execs all complain and philosophize about how to monetize on YouTube. The question everyone asked was: if you know someone or a company that can help us figure this out we want to want to talk to them. Where are they?

Well, maybe the trick is not to worry about monetizing in the traditional way but simply look at it as all integrated and complimentary in nature. I personally also unlike many of the male-dominant companies believe in not just employing technology for the purpose of technology but to help instead creating meaningful and entertaining content. FOCUS ON STORY TELLING AND CONTENT!

With the Nielsen ratings now including web and mobile viewership it is only a matter of time where a TV show is reviewed as a digital set of integrated show formats which all compliment each other. So the focus should be on using YouTube for what it is worth which is promoting traditional media CONTENT. But it should also be complimentary in nature and any successful show and channel needs to take advantage of all that YouTube and google+ applications including hangouts have to offer. That is going to set them apart from the rest who just experiment.

For Meredith and team this means that the experimenting can continue but here are a few suggestions:

1. More Meredith! Have more of Meredith and maybe weekly on the show as she sells and people want to watch her and not Francesca and team every week which is reflected in the number of viewers on both overshare videos and instant response hangouts. The reason why Ellen DeGeneres is in the Top 10 of YouTube most viewed is because she is actually in the videos with over 7 Million subscribers to just her main channel.

2. Get personal! Have hangouts with viewers. The pet show would have been a perfect opportunity for sense of community and getting personal. The guests on the show and the interviews very informative but it could have been shorter and timed at 30 min. for example while an additional 30 min. could have been a life pet costume contest with viewers showing off their pets and costumes while being interviewed by Meredith. Meredith rushed through printouts of pics of pets and no costumes were picked as the winners on the show. Remember YouTube is a people-powered medium aka Web 3.0 with regular people being a personal brand who can help the Meredith channel.

3. Have focus groups! Creating a team that acts like a quasi focus group that gets together in a hangout and then essentially proposes features and content is also very valuable. Right now the Twitter feed for the Lives with Meredith channel asks viewers for new topics for the IRT hangout each week but why not have a team that helps with user-generated content? I would pick a diverse group of women in different age ranges with some more familiar than others with digital media. Let the user group speak up and help produce content that you are asking for anyway via Twitter feeds.

4. Blog away! I know that Meredith seems to feel uneasy with the use of computers (not kidding, right?) and apparently digital media and technology but she is learning. Let her blog about it as her insights are invaluable to the show and will I am convinced make it clear that she is very capable of using digital media. Her fresh take will also make it easier for viewers to connect with her who are not "digital natives" meaning the generation of people born in the 1960s or earlier who have to learn the use of computer and social media as adults later in life.  It would be wise however to not downplay her actual insight but make it clear that she comes from traditional media. Every time a woman speaks up on TV or in public forums how she is challenged by technology is not helping us women who fight with the stigma of women not being as technical as men when we really are. It makes me honestly crinch when I hear Meredith state how she does not know how to switch on a computer. Oh no, you know and you know so much more. Probably more than the guy who runs a major TV network but since he is a guy he gets away with not knowing much.

5. Do not do it alone on your channel! Let the user give feedback and post videos on a YouTube Channel that can be listing topics that users can contribute to. For example, for the instant response team aka IRT post the topic a day or two early and allow users to comment with videos. Those can be curated and then placed even in a contest-style format as a TOP 10 of Viewer generated content talking about the topic of the week. You might get the help of a new YouTube star generate buzz for your channel with millions of viewers who convert into Lives subscribers. Ha, and you did little to help but let the audience help you. Can't beat that concept as the users in Web 3.0 style are their own brand and network.

6. Work with Google and help them create an optimized user interface for your YouTube channel! I happen to mentor the woman who helps at Google with the Lives with Meredith channel. Talk to her and the team and hire user experience strategists and digital media strategists to optimize the user experience for you. Have Meredith herself give you feedback and what she would like to have the screen look like when she is hosting a hangout. I would have her draw on a whiteboard what she would like the ideal YouTube channel page to look like. I found that as a strategist aside from creating personas and use case scenarios the most valuable input I can give is a compilation of and conversion of user-generated feedback that usually leads to optimized user experiences and formats that are creative and ingenious at times as the users know best!

I could go on about other strategies for the show and will be happy to share if Iconic TV wants to talk. This is not an industry white paper based on my usual research but I wanted to openly share just some concepts and sincerely hope you find them useful.

It all boils down to allowing for more user-generated content, more of Meredith as the brand, and optimized user experiences of YouTube and google applications that can also be integrated into next year's day time talk show. Nobody else is using the power of YouTube in that fashion yet and the Nielsen ratings as online and mobile viewers are soon to be included are guaranteed to go through the roof and help keep a show alive that is worth viewing. Who cares who is watching on TV is what we will all ask in a couple of years and who cares if Katie still has a show as she does not utilize Web 2.0 and leads TV 1.0 to TV 2.0.

Since your target demographic for the Lives YouTube Channel is primarily women you might also find this info useful: http://www.scoop.it/t/psychology-of-media-emerging-technologies/p/4010172316/women-outrank-men-in-social-media-savvy-and-connectedness

- Patricia Anglano
Digital Media Producer and Strategist, Agile Media Coach and Consultant

Organizational Psychology Blog: Testing Tools For Agile Teams

During the Assessment phase I utilize interview techniques and online questionnaires to help me get a deep understanding of both the organization and the team members and how they work. This allows me to create (a) a customized plan and prescribe specific tools and exercises during coaching. It also (b) helps me in customizing the design of workshops for the client during the training phase.

But what about other testing tools? Psychology and psychological testing tools can address entire teams but really focus on individual assessments. Some are clinical like the MMPI and MMPI-2 and therefore not appropriate for employees. What we are looking for are preferences when it comes to work style or a fit for a particular role in a team or even a position. It is important to note that no decision should be made solely on the results of one test. Tests in conjunction with interviews and performance reviews are a much better way to assess a team member or Agile team.

Below are some commonly used tests that I can offer through partnerships with certified testing administrators. I also include a link by the Society of Industrial/Organizational Psychology (SIOP) for testing in the workplace as it clearly lays out what testing can and cannot do and  lists the advantages and disadvantages of certain tests: Types of Employment Tests

I generally include a combination of  or all of these 4 types in my assessment phase:

Copyright Agile Media Consulting 2013

As you can see I heavily rely on interviews during the assessment phase (on average 50%) during the first few days or week on a project. Work samples and simulations can take up to 25% on average as I like to see employees perform in a team if assessing existing Agile teams. Personality tests really only take up to 20% while cognitive ability tests are the smallest measurement tool with only 5%.

It is more common scenario for an existing Agile team that I only rely on interviews (50%) and work samples and scenarios through observation (50%). Newer teams and organizations that are starting with just one pilot project while needing to select appropriate team members can benefit more from the scenario shown above. But then again, every organization and every team is different and the above is only a sample and not to be used a a guideline for all teams as not one size fits all.


Personality Tests:

1. CPI 260 and 434 (close to the MMPI in reliability and validity but with focus on non-clinical and healthy individuals which is why it is appropriate as an employment test)

https://www.cpp.com/products/cpi/index.aspx

2. MBTI Step 1 and Step 2 (16 personality types with list of work style preferences and even career paths)

http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/

3. DiSC (good when looking to improve work productivity, teamwork and communication)

http://www.discprofile.com/whatisdisc.htm

4. 360 Assessments and 360 Degree Feedback (a systematic approach that provides peer feedback on performance)

http://www.ccl.org/leadership/assessments/assessment360.aspx

5. NEO PI-3 (based on the 5-Factor Model (FFM))

http://www.sigmaassessmentsystems.com/assessments/neopi3.asp

6. FIRO-B (Interpersonal Relations Test)

http://www.psychometrics.com/en-us/assessments/firob.htm

7. WPI  (Work Personality, describes work style, strengths and weaknesses)

http://www.psychometrics.com/en-us/assessments/work-personality.htm

8. TKI (Thomas Kilman Conflict Mode Instrument, examines conflict styles and intended to help with team communication and collaboration)

http://www.psychometrics.com/en-us/assessments/thomas-kilmann.htm

Cognitive Ability Test:

1. Wonderlic:

http://www.psychometrics.com/en-us/assessments/wonderlic.htm


Personality tests are really focused on individual's preferences and only one of the factors that should help in determining for example if someone on the team is going to be a successful Scrum Master.

It takes an experienced test administrator and a thorough analysis that goes beyond reading the results to determine how these tests can help Agile teams and an organization. I am the only Agile coach who is also a Ph.D. candidate in I/O Psychology and who has included psychological testing as a result in my systematic approach that includes an assessment-, training- and coaching phases based on sound psychological principles.

The Wonderlic test is the only cognitive ability test that I included to help companies when hiring for and considering existing team members for Agile teams. It might be suitable for teams to find out who is interested in learning a new methodology for example.

Any questions or comments? Please contact me at: patricia@agilemediaconsulting.com

Best,
Patricia Anglano

Organizational and Agile Coaching Phases 

Agile coaches are embedded in the teams at times as they coach and also continue to train. But what does a typical day look like? There are coaches who work for a coaching company and they can focus on coaching while some of us own our own coaching company. That means that some time each day is focused on making sure that the business is running smoothly and we are servicing existing clients while connecting with new ones especially if we want to expand and grow a coaching team.

But let's just assume for this blog that we are talking about a coach who is working on a project with one client company. I like to divide the coaches' work into phases as the work day looks different depending on what phase the coach works in:

Copyright Agile Media Consulting 2013

1. Organizational Assessment Phase:

This is the most neglected phase due to missing education and experience by some who are coaching Agile methodologies. Please ask your coach that you are about to hire what service they provide in the assessment phase. Nobody can just walk into a company and understand the culture with one meeting. Techniques used by some are interviews with executives and team members which is helpful. But even more important and only used by Organizational Psychologists are sound psychological testing tools and methodologies that are not part of Agile. I utilize various tools and techniques to assess organizational behavior and culture, team structure and efficiency, and fit for positions amongst team members.  A good Agile coach will spend a week assessing at minimum and follow it up with a report before prescribing a plan that clearly lays out what will help the company. Often times I find issues beyond those related to Agile methodologies and team performance with the understanding that the introduction of Agile methodologies also often exposes other issues. Those are also pointed out in the report, and a risk assessment clearly explains the impact that these issues can cause. A "dysfunctional" organization is not suddenly functioning with the implementation of Agile and for example Scrum teams. I work closely with management to assess and improve organizational processes that include recruiting, on-boarding, management, program management process, workflow and communication across teams, etc.
The assessment phase is also one of the many reasons why you want to hire an Agile coach and not just a Scrum Master or Agile PM. They do not have the experience, skill set, and simply also not the time to  do thorough assessments. And as many of you know missing out on the assessment phase and attempting a one-size fits all implementation of Agile is usually unsuccessful. More often than not however I come into a company after they failed in implementation Agile and built teams and found out the hard way that it does not work. 


Ideal time for assessment phase: week 0-4 depending on size of organization and state of Agile with week 1 being 100% focused on assessment and slowly decreasing to 60-80% during week 2 etc. while training or coaching increases. Assessment continues throughout the end of the engagement with a final assessment due and "check-ins" presented throughout in a 6-12 month project.

2. Training Phase: 

This phase that often overlaps with the assessment phase can be started as early as week 2 where formal training of Agile methodologies is introduced. This is what certified "Scrum Trainers" are known to do if Scrum is chosen. But even they often cut short or provide no assessment so I am sometimes working with trainers or take on the trainer's role. Ideally though if you do not need the Scrum Master to be certified working with a trainer is in my opinion too costly and not necessary. Some of us coaches are very qualified and experienced in training teams on Agile methodologies including Scrum, Kanban, XP etc. and also introduce Lean principles. What is also a service that I like to always provide is customized training per the team's needs. I never provide just a general presentation or class but instead customized training specifically designed for the appropriate team members. In fact I am presenting a Training plan during the assessment phase with the goal to teach the basics as needed to those who need it with the understanding that the application continues to be coached during the coaching phase.

Ideal time for training phase: week 2-4 depending on size of organization and continued training as needed to new team members or for advanced classes and workshops over time (i.e. advanced tools for Product Owners: release planning, roadmaps, etc.)

3. Coaching Phase: 

So crucial and sometimes completely neglected as all a company pays for is training or certifications or simply "just doing it" with Scrum Masters and Agile Project Managers. Coaching to me is an art and a mindset. Once assessed and trained it focuses on application and optimization of the practice. And practice takes time. The goal of a good Agile coach is to shorten the time span it takes a company to implement Agile successfully. I have a pretty good idea after the assessment phase on how long it takes me to coach and continuously train teams as an embedded coach. During this phase I also focus on other organizational behaviors and structure and I have built Agile PMOs during this phase. A typical day usually starts off with meeting with the teams during their regular dailies and coaching hands-on as needed. After that the rest of the day is spent with planning or review meetings, one-on-one coaching with training on tools and sharing of additional knowledge and experience in the implementation without interrupting. A lot of times the Agile PMO process and introduction of Agile and other tools takes a good part of the day while executive and management meetings and coaching can be addressing higher-level organizational issues. I also like to set aside an hour at least for continued assessments and reporting so that all can be captured and optimized. For that I use a Kanban board and system.

Ideal time for coaching phase: week 2-end of engagement which can be 3-6 months long at a smaller organization or 6-12 months long at a larger scale organization. It usually concludes with an assessment to show progress and always is followed up with coaching on an as-needed basis. Teams often fall back into old habits during the first year and sometimes need a meeting or coaching to work out the kinks.

4. Agile Coach and Agile Practice Lead:

Agile Practice Leads are performing all aspects of coaching plus they are typically taking on more permanent internal process and people management. They are typically hired longterm on contract or permanently in the Project or Program Management office at organizations to provide Organizational Effectiveness continuously. Sometimes this position can also be in the role of a Director or VP of the PMO meaning they are the head of the PMO especially if the organization and department or division are all Agile. I am mentioning this as some companies see the importance but do not have the budget to hire a long-term Agile coach. First of all, I usually like to show the significant savings an Agile Practice Lead and Coach can bring to an organization if the coach can also be taking on more permanent roles and has proven leadership skills in other areas like recruiting, managing, and budgeting, creating profit and loss statements and running a company or division, etc. A 200k investment over a period of 6-9 months can easily amount to millions of dollars in savings which I have proven in my previous work with companies over a number of years. But if you are looking for the budget think of your current PMO structure as well.  It pays off big time, guaranteed! The best companies in the U.S. like Google or Salesforce already have VP positions filled with Agile leaders who focus on driving the Agile Process, people and organizational development. Many more companies will follow.

Any questions? Feel free to contact me at: patricia@agilemediaconsulting.com

- Patricia Anglano
President and Lead Agile Coach
Agile Media Consulting LLC

An Agile Coach Skills, Talent, Practice and Mindset

There is a presentation that I created for a very large company in the area and their executive team as they are looking to build a team of Agile coaches over time. I am also talking about expanding a more formal Agile Coach Academy with one of my partner companies. Why? Because Scrum Masters and Agile Project Managers are not experienced enough to coach, design and teach, train, and mentor. They are also busy just doing Scrum Master work. It is difficult to transform and coach a team, entire department or organizational division if you are already busy with full-time work and also do not have the necessary skills and experience a great Agile coach has.

Take a look at the presentation and let me know if you are interested in our Agile coach academy also for your existing Agile PMs and Scrum Masters. Not everyone is interested in coaching, public speaking, mentoring, designing and teaching. It is a "mindset" and many of the skills come with talent, practice and mindset.

Copyright Agile Media Consulting 2013

Copyright Agile Media Consulting 2013

Let me explain the 10 main areas that a good Agile coach should have experience in. But first a couple of disclaimers: there is no way that a coach can be equally experienced or good in all of these areas. Some are more important for certain projects than others. It all comes down to what a specific company needs. Also, having experience in product development and with the development process at companies is very helpful. I am for example coming from a Media and Technology product development background. I worked in Film, TV, Internet, Mobile and related Digital Media in my career as a Producer, Product Manager, and even Director of Product Development in those industries.  That is why my primary focus has been media and entertainment and their technology divisions. However, I am also developing a system and have catered to other industries as I am able to adapt to processes in different industries. But it is helpful to know what all team members and the company work on.

But let me go into more detail on what I mean with those 10 areas of expertise for an Agile coach:

1. Testing - Not quality assurance testing but organizational testing and assessment.  Testing and assessment based on sound psychological principles which I have been introduced to as an Organizational Psychologist Ph.D. candidate and I am focusing aspects of my academic research and part of my dissertation on "Testing and Assessment for Agile Teams".  It is extremely helpful to know about certain tools (there are over 200 available to psychologists) and some might be crucial in the individual team member or group assessment phase. The MBTI for example can help establish preferences of certain team members when it comes to certain roles. I found this to be particularly helpful when looking for good Scrum Master personality types. 

2. Instructional Design - This is just like no. 1 an actual career for some. I worked as a Director of Instructional Design at USC for a while and also taught classes and created my own curricula at USC for over six years. Here is the trick: everyone can create a presentation but designing a workshop or a class takes a certain skill and experience. The material needs to be paced and be delivered in a way that it will most optimally help the students absorb the new knowledge and ideally also practice it. It also includes designing exercises, tests, resource materials, and group instruction concepts. 

3. Agile Methodologies - This one is a given as this describes skills for an Agile coach. It should not just mean a certification. It should include also not just application as a Scrum Master or Product Owner over a number of years. It should include transforming teams to go Agile and applying and optimizing while continuously assessing.  Ideally building an Agile PMO should be part of the experience that an Agile coach has.  And finally, an understanding of other methodologies and how they relate to Agile and why Scrum is better for some teams while others can benefit from a Kanban system or XP. Knowledge of Lean principles as a complement to the Agile Methodologies "umbrella" is a big bonus as well.

4. Teaching - This takes skill, talent, experience, and mindset. One major skill I find useful is to be able to listen. Others include adjusting to a class and customize materials on the fly, the ability to break down complex knowledge and convey it to the students, and a passion for the subject. Academic teaching and/or corporate training experience a big plus.

5. Coaching 1:1 - Different from teaching in that there is no set curriculum and it is often hands-on. It is an experiential way of working with clients, students, etc and includes all skill sets and expertise areas mentioned in this post. Also, coaching an executive demands a different level of expertise than coaching a PM. There is a whole specialty in Organizational Psychology devoted to executive and leadership coaching for that reason. Big Plus: Be inspirational and empower team members as a coach. It helps you to initiate change and keeps you influential while building the company team members to be self-sufficient.

6.  Coaching Organizational Teams or Groups - Please see number 5. Coaching groups demands that one can work with a set of different personalities and experience levels at the same time. Also, keeping everyone including yourself focused and having an immaculate sense of timing what helps the most when.  

7. Project Management - Agile Methodologies are based on a certain type of Project Management. Most Agile experts have worked as and coach other Agile PMs and Scrum Masters. Nobody can teach someone to be a good Project Manager, it is a "mindset". Superior organizational and management skills are a huge plus. Even better if you have built a PMO and/or helped optimize processes as a Program Manager while overseeing Project Managers and a number of large scale projects.

8. Operations - As an Agile coach one needs to assess and then help optimize how teams work. Operational experience and knowledge is very helpful. Program Managers are typically involved in the "how to" and process-oriented side of a company's business. Know how to optimize operations and you make a better Agile coach!

9. Leadership - Not everyone has that skill or talent. It also takes practice and is a mindset.  Good coaches know that the best leaders are servants to their people and empower themselves with a great team around them while gently guiding everyone to success.  There is obviously much more to it but if someone believes they are a natural born leader they naturally gravitate towards coaching opportunities in various areas of their life so this is another area that is more of a mindset. 

10. Management - Skills for the most part but also heavily dependent on experience and the right mindset. A lot of what I stated in 9. applies. A manager needs to be in an Agile environment a collaborator, team player, builder, and evangelist. Good managers put people over profit although this is just my opinion and some are just catching up on what companies need in 2013 and beyond which is inspiration over ambition and collaboration over competition. Management skills also demand superior listening skills, compassion, patience and at times being able to "herd the cats". Care for your people and they care for your company! The best compliment someone gave me was that  I made a difference in his organization as a coach as I "inspired performance while really caring for the people".

Copyright Agile Media Consulting 2013

I predict coaches, and I mean not just Agile coaches, are going to be in even more demand in the future and companies need to adapt and even transform how they work continuously. There are also other coaches and modalities that can complement Agile coaching and I talk about that in my presentation as well. There is really no limit as to what background and other training a good coach can have. 

To schedule an appointment if interested in coaching, training up your existing resources to be coaches if qualified, etc. please contact me directly at: patricia@agilemediaconsulting.com

Best,

Patricia Anglano

Lead Agile Coach and Consultant

Instructor, Agile Project Management Class Series

President/Founder Agile Media Consulting LLC