Internet DRAFT - draft-elkins-ietf-unwritten-rules-values
draft-elkins-ietf-unwritten-rules-values
INTERNET-DRAFT N. Elkins
Network Working Group Inside Products
Intended Status: Informational
Expires: June 17, 2016 December 15, 2015
Unwritten Rules and Values of the IETF
draft-elkins-ietf-unwritten-rules-values-00
Table of Contents
1 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.1 IETF and the Internet ecosystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2 The shared vision of the IETF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.3 The IETF is not just an RFC mill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.4 The IETF works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.5 The IETF is a community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2 The IETF has values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.1 Do your own work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.1.1 Steal ideas politely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.1.2 Don't try to manipulate others . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.1.3 Build your own small cottage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.2 Do really good work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.2.1 Don't present drafts just to get time on the agenda . . 8
2.2.2 How to do really good work? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.2.3 A possible path to doing really good work . . . . . . . 10
2.2.4 How to get started in a new WG . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.2.5 How to get started contributing on the email lists . . . 11
2.2.6 Start a study group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.2.7 Don't be afraid to have bad ideas . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.3 Have it work in reality, not just theory . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.4 Have it work for everybody . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.5 Work with others for the good of the community and shared
vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.5.1 Listen to others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.5.2 Admit mistakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.5.3 Ask for help or clarification . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.5.3 Be a team player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.5.4 Notable results of collaboration . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.5.5 Don't try to game the system - false collaboration . . . 14
2.5.6 Collaboration and inner circles . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.5.7 Help out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.6 Be honest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.7 Be transparent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.8 Have integrity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.9 We are equal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
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2.10 Care an awful lot about what you are doing . . . . . . . . 16
2.11 You represent yourself, not your company . . . . . . . . . 16
3 Social aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.1 The "Old Boys' Club" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.2 Finding your "people" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.3 Disagreeing with people . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.4 Social aspects which don't matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3.5 Social aspects which probably matter . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4 Cultural aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.1 Logical fallacies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.2 For cultures that value group harmony . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.3 For cultures that respect their elders . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.4 For cultures that value structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.5 For cultures that value individual achievement . . . . . . . 20
4.6 Community and rough consensus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4.7 Collaboration for individualistic cultures . . . . . . . . . 20
5 Collaborative Innovation Network (COIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
6 Final thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
7 Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
8 IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
9 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
9.1 Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
9.2 Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
10 Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
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Abstract
The intent of this document is to speed up the process by which
someone new to the IETF, can understand the objectives, fathom the
environment, comprehend the culture, learn to navigate the problems,
overcome the obstacles, and become a more productive IETF
participant, in a shorter amount of time. Further, this document is
intended to pass along the learning and experiences of people who
have absorbed these values, perhaps in a much longer amount of time
and with much greater effort and even hardship.
Status of this Memo
This Internet-Draft is submitted to IETF in full conformance with the
provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.
Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that
other groups may also distribute working documents as
Internet-Drafts.
Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference
material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."
The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at
http://www.ietf.org/1id-abstracts.html
The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at
http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html
Copyright and License Notice
Copyright (c) 2015 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
document authors. All rights reserved.
This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
(http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
publication of this document. Please review these documents
carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
to this document. Code Components extracted from this document must
include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
described in the Simplified BSD License
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1 Background
This work came about as a result of work with the IETF mentoring
program. There were a number of incidents where there appeared to
be a misunderstanding of what might be called "values" or "unwritten
rules".
For example, one person (American male-white) felt that his Internet-
Draft (I-D) was not proceeding because he did not attend (or know
about) a private drinking party which is often held at the IETF and
that many decisions were made because one belonged to an "inner
circle". The author assured him that she fell asleep and forgot to
go to the private drinking party and that has not in any way impeded
the progress of her work at the IETF (that she knows of!).
The other issues are with the way that people talk to each other on
the email lists and at Working Group sessions. The current
(sometimes brutally) frank interchange at the IETF is in the range of
normal (if at the extreme range) for some people but off the spectrum
for others. In the coming years, as the Internet permeates every
corner of the earth, we need to have as many people of good will,
intelligence and commitment involved to help solve the problems of
the Internet and do the work of the IETF.
So, it seemed to the author that making explicit some of the ways
that the IETF operates and why would help relative newcomers
understand more about the IETF and be able to become productive in a
shorter amount of time.
As this document progressed, it became clear that another important
purpose of this document is to serve as a positive vision of an
organization that IETFers can be proud to belong to -- a group whose
function is critical in the world we live today and the foreseeable
future.
1.1 IETF and the Internet ecosystem
The IETF creates the innovation that is needed to make the complex
system that is the Internet adapt to its environment. If an organism
does not adapt to its environment, it will become extinct. In
biological systems, nature via evolution serves the function of
gradual adaptation. Nature, however, is not able to make computer
networks and protocols adapt. But, such a facility is needed, hence
the need for an entity which will help the Internet adapt to its
ever-changing environment.
The IETF is evolution for the Internet. Another way to say this may
be: "The IETF exists to solve problems in the Internet." [Baker]
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This purpose will become key in the later sections. It is easy to
say "we will innovate" but the environment needed to truly innovate
is a very special one. Another point which is sometimes forgotten
is that in order to adapt, it is important to have a very accurate
assessment of the environment.
As the Internet permeates every corner of the globe, the environment
is more and more complex. We need, more than ever, to represent as
many view points as possible so that the innovations are effective.
[Cite other RFCs]
1.2 The shared vision of the IETF
The Internet, what it means, and collaborating (working together) to
have it adapt to the environment is the shared vision of the IETF.
What the Internet means is the free and open exchange of ideas
between as many people as possible. So, as an unwritten rule, if
something is seen as threatening this shared vision it will be seen
as a core threat to the group. On the other hand, if something
supports the effectiveness of the IETF and supports the vision, then
even if what you do is "radical", in the sense that it has not been
done before, then there will be support for your ideas.
1.3 The IETF is not just an RFC mill
There is no question that in the end, a document called an RFC which
represents community consensus on a problem or how to resolve a
problem will often be created.
Having said that, the IETF does not just churn out RFCs. That is an
overly simplistic view of what actually happens. There are ongoing
conversations between people, via email, on the email lists, by
conversations over lunch or at a bar. Some of these will end up
changing a point of view which may result a year later in a published
document.
What happens on the email lists is very important. These are ongoing
conversations about various topics and have the thinking about why
certain problems are solved a certain way. These are public -- for
a reason. Then, the deliberations are transparent.
Hallway conversations at IETF meetings are also very important. If
you can at all do it, attend IETF in person. Work is being done in
various geographic regions to have remote hubs. This may be a good
way to start collaborations with others in your geographic region.
People want to be involved in the IETF because they see it as having
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prestige and importance. This is a bit misguided because it leads
people to do things that are visible to the outside but not really
helpful to the core mission and community. The actual reason that
IETF has prestige and importance is that it creates the new ideas and
innovations that are needed for the Internet. This is the shared
vision of the IETF. People are working for something that is bigger
than themselves and collaborating with others to do it.
1.4 The IETF works
Whatever you may say are faults in the IETF (and there are a number
which many of us are trying to fix), it works. A small number of
people have created and continue to create innovations that affect
the entire world through the Internet.
How? The unspoken rules and values of the IETF are a fundamental
reason for why this works.
1.5 The IETF is a community
There was once a story told by a wise man about a Russian physicist
who had been trying unsuccessfully to resolve a research problem for
a long time. One night, he had dinner with some of his friends and
talked openly about things that he had not been able to talk about
for many years. The next day, he had the breakthrough idea for his
research.
Something about honesty, trust and community allows us to innovate in
ways that we don't know how to even describe. But, it happens. The
IETF is proof of that.
2 The IETF has values
What are these values?
-Do your own work
-Do really good work
-Have it work in reality not just theory
-Have it work for everybody
-Work with others for the good of the community and shared vision
-Be honest
-Be transparent
-Have integrity
-We are equal
-Care an awful lot about what you are doing
-You represent yourself, not your company
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2.1 Do your own work
2.1.1 Steal ideas politely
Here is a case showing what not to do.
A team authoring an I-D was found to have knowingly taken their work
from someone else who had a patent (IPR) on that idea. This can be
done but "careful acknowledgement and citation of sources and
references" [Carpenter] must also be done. The IPR holder was
contacted and the issue was resolved but that is not the point.
The point is that the people on that team were now seen as "stealing
ideas" from others. So, what happens?
Some IETFers will not co-author papers with members of that team.
When people from that team present, there is often silence in the
room. If there is silence in the room, this is very bad. IETFers
are not quiet and they feel passionately about ideas. If no one is
commenting, this is because either your idea is so bad that no one is
going to waste their breath or because you have violated a rule of
the group very badly. (Such as this one.)
2.1.2 Don't try to manipulate others
Here is a technique not to follow.
Writing an I-D that parallels an existing WG doc and then asking
strongly and repeatedly to merge the new I-D with the existing
document so as to get names added to the original document is not
doing your own work, honest or transparent.
People will remember that you tried to do this. As Abraham Lincoln
said: "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the
people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the
time."
In this case, you are not fooling any of the people any of the time.
2.1.3 Build your own small cottage
If you do your own work and it turns out to be a small, honest, well-
built cottage and not the Taj Mahal, it is fine. If it is your own
idea, you have developed it well, listened to the feedback of others,
built consensus, and have had it adopted by a Working Group, then
before you know it, the people building the Taj Mahal may turn to
you. They will likely ask you if you want to help with planning the
garden or something else at the Taj Mahal. You don't need to try to
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manipulate or steal from others.
Many people stay involved with the IETF for many years. They will
remember both the good and the bad that you do. It is like living in
a small village.
2.2 Do really good work
2.2.1 Don't present drafts just to get time on the agenda
Here is a case study of what not to do.
A team authoring a draft has ideas that are not well thought out, not
based on any real experience or even good theory. Such a team works
for a company known to give promotions, awards or money based on
number of RFCs published. The team is seen to be self serving and
putting out ideas not for the greater good or for the betterment of
the shared vision but only for themselves.
So, what happens?
When people from that team present, there is often silence in the
room. The silence is from people authoring in that WG who care
passionately about the topic and have items of their own that they
would like the group to discuss. They feel that valuable agenda time
is going to people who do not really deserve it and are not going to
give more time to these people by asking questions.
Some experienced IETFers are very kind and will comment to the effect
that the idea or presentation is fundamentally flawed. If someone
who is an "icon" of the IETF says something to you like that, listen.
They are being very generous to you. If they actually point out
flaws, listen even more carefully. The fact that they even read and
commented on your work means that they are trying to help you.
Doing good work, if you have even the germ of a good idea, is
actually one of the easier things to achieve.
2.2.2 How to do really good work?
It will take years of experience, study, and hard work. There are
no short cuts. If you are not willing to put in the work and have
the commitment, then you probably don't belong at the IETF.
If you are willing to put in the work and have the commitment, then
try to form a group of people who can work with you. This can be
really helpful. A team of people with average intelligence will
often be better than a solitary genius. (Of course, if you can have
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geniuses collaborate...then you get some REALLY great results)
Work hard. Research your ideas really well. See how they work in
practice. Get feedback from others.
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2.2.3 A possible path to doing really good work
-Talk with the WG chair or experienced person about if your idea fits
in the WG charter and may be worth exploring
-Work on a draft with a team
-Each person can work on a portion
-Review the draft together
-Present to a small audience
-You may want to do all of this in your local language, if that is
more comfortable for you
-You may want to do this 2 or 3 times
-Ask for a review from a WG chair or experienced person, in a
private session.
-Ask for review of the draft from a number of trusted, experienced
people (maybe you met them at mentoring events!)
-Go to the email list for your WG for comments
-Ask for agenda time
2.2.4 How to get started in a new WG
Before you get started on the path, you want to understand what is
going in whatever Working Group you are interested in. You may want
to do the following steps:
- Watch the email list for about 6 months to a year. Try to make
sure that you understand everything that people are talking about.
Don't say anything - just read and watch what others are talking
about. Look to see who are the most respected contributors and what
they are thinking. You don't have to agree with them, it is just
good to know the "lay of the land", if you will. Each group has core
contributors.
- Read the core RFCs for that group (every group has them). Make
sure that you understand all the terms and concepts that people are
discussing.
- Look at packet traces using Wireshark of the protocols under
question. Some people have hundreds that show different aspects of
the protocol.
- Look at the drafts the WG has adopted and what problem they are
trying to solve. Read and understand the drafts and the discussion
around them. If you have to, create a sheet per draft for each
discussion item, pros and cons of the argument.
- Look at the charter for the WG, the documents it wants to produce
and the timeline.
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- Then, look at the individual submissions. Make your own decisions
about how closely you want to look at these. Some are raising some
very interesting points and highlighting problems that you may not
have considered.
- This all takes quite a bit of time and energy. But, if you want to
be taken seriously, then you will be a serious person. Others who
have 20+ years in the industry and teach protocols also do the above
steps to join a new Working Group.
2.2.5 How to get started contributing on the email lists
Be careful about what you say on the email list and how you start
contributing. Again, be serious. This is a very serious thing we
are doing. The IETF supports the Internet. Many of the people here
have been working on networks and protocols for much of their working
lives.
When you say something, think hard about what you are saying before
you say it. People will remember it and you do not want to be seen
as someone who talks without knowing what they are talking about. If
you get that reputation, it will be very hard for you to overcome.
Best not to say anything for a while.
2.2.6 Start a study group
If you need to form a study group with others, great. Do it.
The author has a small private group for each of the WGs that she is
involved with. We talk over what happens on the email list and in
the WG sessions. You may want to practice doing presentations to
each other of what is being discussed or different interesting
protocol problems. We try to do this in a lab setting as well so
that we can have hands-on experience. Of course, for protocols that
are not yet implemented by anyone, this is not possible to do
2.2.7 Don't be afraid to have bad ideas
Sometimes, in order to learn, you have to take risks. That means
that you may propose an idea or an I-D that is really a bad idea.
Having bad ideas is a part of the process of having good ideas.
What this really means is that making mistakes and figuring out why
you failed, is a part of the path to success.
In particular, when we are talking about innovation, playing it too
safe means that the ideas you have may not be really creative. Make
mistakes, learn from them, have more ideas. Soon, your ideas will
start actually start solving real problems. The community will tell
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you.
2.3 Have it work in reality, not just theory
That means writing code if you possibly can, and testing it. Try to
use multiple platforms and operating systems. You will learn a lot.
You may end up revising your design. You cannot design protocols in
a vacuum.
2.4 Have it work for everybody
If you want network devices to inter-operate over the Internet, then
you have to work together with others. This can be slow. In fact,
some people complain that the IETF process is too slow. There is no
question that improvements can be made. But, it is important that
others who may be impacted by the decision be heard.
Definitely, it is easier and faster to just work within one company.
But, if the goal is interoperability, then you have to work together
with others. Without interoperability, the Internet as we know it
would not exist.
There is a proverb which some say is from Africa and others from
China:
"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go
together."
2.5 Work with others for the good of the community and shared vision
2.5.1 Listen to others
No one knows the whole truth. But by working together and listening,
we can approach the truth.
The fable of the Blind Men and the Elephant may be helpful:
Six blind men were asked to determine what an elephant looked like by
feeling different parts of the elephant's body. The blind man who
feels a leg says the elephant is like a pillar; the one who feels the
tail says the elephant is like a rope; the one who feels the trunk
says the elephant is like a tree branch; the one who feels the ear
says the elephant is like a hand fan; the one who feels the belly
says the elephant is like a wall; and the one who feels the tusk says
the elephant is like a solid pipe.
How does this apply to the IETF? Some people only look at how
middle boxes view the network, others look only at the end user
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viewpoint, others have the stack developer perspective, some have the
chip vendor perspective, still others focus on an academic
perspective, etc.
When you have an idea or an I-D, actively seek written feedback from
others, read it carefully, and change things accordingly. The first
version of a design or document is never correct. Also, if one reader
misunderstands a sentence, so will many others. Fix the sentence,
because you can't fix the readers.
2.5.2 Admit mistakes
If you make a mistake, admit it. If you are wrong, say it. It is
easy to get passionate about something and get carried away. Here is
an example of a mature way to deal with a mistake from an experienced
contributor:
"(From) my own message from last Friday, I realized after clicking
send that I was out of line and want to apologize to John for the
tone of the note. John knows and understands the community WiFi
service use case in ways that I do not, so it was inappropriate for
me to profess knowledge of the use case that I do not have".
2.5.3 Ask for help or clarification
This is from an email exchange "I may be being stupid, but I think
I'm still not following. Do you think you could provide a ladder
diagram showing the messages that demonstrate the attack you are
concerned about?"
This is from a person who wrote some of the seminal RFCs of the IETF.
He is far from stupid. But, one of the reasons that he is not
stupid is that he asks for clarification until he understands. You
may want to ask privately when you are a newcomer. Many people at
the IETF are very kind and generous, they will often be happy to help
you.
2.5.3 Be a team player
For example, everyone wants agenda time. Don't try to push your way
in front of others. Don't ask for more time than you need. When the
chair says that you are running short of time, sit down quickly. If
your work is interesting, then people will come and talk to you.
2.5.4 Notable results of collaboration
DHCP, TLS and many other efforts in the IETF are a result of a
wonderful collaboration.
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This work is also a collaboration. See the Section on
Acknowledgements.
2.5.5 Don't try to game the system - false collaboration
When you get consensus calls on the email lists and people who almost
never participate respond with support with almost the same words,
this is gaming the system.
People will remember you.
2.5.6 Collaboration and inner circles
On the other hand, asking the most active participants to review your
work is probably smart. They will be able to see the most flaws.
This is what you want.
Are these people the inner circle? Probably.
But they generally got to be the inner circle by doing the most good
work and caring an awful lot about what they do.
Can you become a part of the inner circle? Yes.
How? Do really good work and care passionately about what you are
doing.
2.5.7 Help out
Every organization needs things done. The IETF is a volunteer
organization. Help others and you will find that others will help
you.
This is how you do things in your own community - your church,
synagogue, mosque, temple, Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), or any
other volunteer organization that you may belong to.
2.6 Be honest
If you want to be accepted, try not to be seen as having a private
agenda. That is, your work is only for the benefit of your company
or to get a promotion for yourself. It is important that people
think of you as someone where "What you see is what you get". That
is, you say what you really think. Your word is good. Your
handshake is good.
A typical IETFer can be almost brutally honest in his / her
interchanges. This can sometimes seem quite rude. People can do
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better in this but in a heated exchange of opinions, sometimes people
say things badly.
If you are not honest, it is hard for people to trust you.
Having said that, remember that what you say may be heard around the
world. You are being recorded at a meeting. The email lists will
live forever on the Internet.
Be honest but have some discretion
2.7 Be transparent
Transparency means that you share what you know with the group. You
don't hide the mistakes. You don't leave out stuff. You don't
whitewash (pretend something is white when it is actually gray).
Just share everything - the good and the bad. If it works, it is
great. It is to the credit of the group and the community.
This transparency also applies to the people who are watching the
email lists. The decisions made by the IETF are important and people
need to know why they were made.
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2.8 Have integrity
Your opinion should be your considered technical opinion and not just
that of the company you currently happen to work for. Flip-flopping
(changing your opinion) when you change companies will be seen and
remembered.
This is called having integrity.
2.9 We are equal
Everyone can voice their opinion
This does not mean everyone is the same. Some people know more about
some things than others. But everyone has the right to a voice and
to be heard. The best engineering solution should, of course, win.
At the IETF, there is very little hierarchy. The motto is "We
reject: kings, presidents and voting. We believe in: rough consensus
and running code." [Clark]
I have heard of some companies who tell their people not to disagree
in public. Especially, not to contradict senior members of the
company. This is not in the true spirit of honest debate over
engineering principles.
2.10 Care an awful lot about what you are doing
Loving what you are doing and being passionate about it is very
important in doing good work. People can tell when you really care
about the work and care about doing good work. Many of the people at
the IETF care very much. That is why they are here.
2.11 You represent yourself, not your company
At the IETF, you are an individual. This has a long history. You
represent your own opinions, not those of your company.
3 Social aspects
3.1 The "Old Boys' Club"
Some people think there is an "old boys club" at the IETF. Every
community has people who have been there a long time. One of the
reasons for this paper is to show you how to break into the "old boys
club" while not being old or a male!
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Quite a few IETFers live to read protocols. For many, it is one of
the most enjoyable things in the world. It is not actually hard
work. But, even such people have to work very hard at the IETF.
In fact, many are appreciative of the opportunity to HAVE to work
hard, to collaborate with people who are their intellectual peers,
have a shared vision in something greater than themselves, believe in
what they do, and a personality structure similar to theirs. When we
hear a "You did a good job" or have support from one of the "icons"
of the IETF, we appreciate this immensely.
Being able to contribute to the group and have the respect of people
that you yourself admire and respect, is the personal motivation to
work for the betterment of the IETF. Of course, the responsibility
and privilege of supporting the Internet which has become an integral
part of life for many in the world, is the larger reason and vision.
3.2 Finding your "people"
So, if you feel that there is an "Old Boys Club", it is in some ways
relief at actually having found "your people".
People who fit in very well at the IETF sometimes cannot be quite as
frank in their interchanges in "real world". So, many IETFers,
find it a relief to be with a large group of people that you can
trust, who will not hold it against you if they are brutally honest
about how your idea (which you believe in passionately) will not work
(and are actually right), and in fact, will be extremely glad for
your comments and see it as an opportunity to work even harder.
Such people may be called "anti-fragile". If you take the example of
some weeds, for example, dandelions, which are very hard to eradicate
and actually thrive when you try to cut them down, then you will
understand the concept of "anti-fragile".
It is rare that you can be quite that honest in a group. But that
very honesty is one of the ways that really good engineering happens.
3.3 Disagreeing with people
Can you disagree with people? This question often comes up when the
person involved is a superior in your own organization or from your
own culture.
The short answer to this is: yes
But do it kindly and respectfully. Sometimes people get passionate
and forget. Then, they can be harsh. But they may be right.
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3.4 Social aspects which don't matter
Going out drinking with people and staying out really late do not
matter. Going to "private parties" does not matter. Some people
don't want to drink a lot of alcohol for religious reasons or health
reasons, or just want to go to bed early because they have done
plenty of partying in their life and they are tired. They prefer to
get up early in the morning and exercise or go for a walk to watch
the sun rise. It does not matter. It will not make a bit of
difference in your WG or any work that you do. Just do really good
work that helps the core vision
Your race, culture, political system, the company you work for,
gender, what you wear, or your age do not matter. Just do really
good work that helps the core vision.
There is no question that in the world that we live in, white
privilege, gender privilege, age-ism, social class privilege,
cultural privilege and many other privileges that we wish did not
exist, do exist. Unfortunately, we have imbibed these with our
mother's milk. Having said that, we have an opportunity at the IETF
to bypass all of these because computer systems and protocols do not
care who developed them. They will not work better because of who
you are. Protocols work, do not work or work sub-optimally. The
best way to overcome the "isms" of the world is to do absolutely
outstanding technical work and be able to prove it. (See Section
2.2 on Doing Really Good Work).
3.5 Social aspects which probably matter
Don't be seen as "stand-offish" or arrogant or hang out only with
people from your own company or culture. This makes people feel that
you don't like them.
How to do this : if there is an excursion going somewhere, join it.
People will often say, "Does anyone want to go see Mt. Fuji with me?"
Do it. You could even initiate an activity yourself. It is a way
to get to know people and build trust.
Don't take yourself that seriously. Have some fun with people.
Be helpful to the group in ways that clearly do not promote your own
interests. See what the group needs, what the problems are, and try
to help fix them. As John Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country
can do for you, but what you can do for your country." Review other
people's draft with constructive criticisms. Ask the WG chair how
you can help. Take minutes.
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4 Cultural aspects
We are each products of our culture. We absorb the modes of being
and values of our culture as we grow. At the IETF, we need to work
with others who come from very different cultures with very different
values.
4.1 Logical fallacies
Some cultures value authority and tradition which is, of course,
admirable. But, sometimes, it can lead to what are called logical
fallacies. That is, using something to support an argument which is
not valid. Some of these follow:
Appeal to authority: Something is right because of who said it
Appeal to tradition: Something is right because that is how we have
always done it
Bandwagon fallacy: Something is right because many people support it
If you find yourself doing any of these, step back and reconsider
4.2 For cultures that value group harmony
It is OK to disagree. We are trying to find the best engineering
solution to a problem -- that is what matters
4.3 For cultures that respect their elders
It is not disrespectful to disagree with your elders. My daughter
sometimes sees things that I don't. I am glad she tells me.
The best engineering solution is what matters. We are a community.
We have a responsibility to the vision we share.
4.4 For cultures that value structure
Some cultures value knowing your place in the overall scheme of
things. Hierarchy and respect are important. The IETF may seem very
non-hierarchical but this does not mean it is chaotic.
There are WG chairs, Area Directors, and a process for if you think
you have not been treated appropriately. There are also people who
have a LOT of experience and whose opinion counts.
Too much structure can stifle innovation.
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4.5 For cultures that value individual achievement
Some cultures put a high value (overly high value?) on the freedom
and creativity of the individual. Some even have a romantic image
of the lone cowboy riding off into the range.
Indeed, it is good to value the individual. But, more often than
not, a group will do a much better job than an individual.
The drawback of individualistic cultures is that the more aggressive
individuals may dominate. Their ideas may not be the best. They may
intimidate others from participation because they criticize others
harshly. Even if they are right, the attitude is "Let the best win
and the devil take the hindmost." If this seems like an experience
that you may see in some IETF Working Groups - try to take the high
road and disagree with kindness.
4.6 Community and rough consensus
The community is the ultimate decider of what we do. You are a part
of the community
Rough consensus is good because if all these people with all these
backgrounds and experiences pretty much agree on something, then it
is probably good.
How do you know they agree? For example, after you have a draft or a
posting which has had a LOT of discussion and you have made
revisions, and no one is jumping up and down, then you know you have
it right. If some of the known leaders or WG chairs tell you that
you are doing a good job or they like your work, then you have it
right. This is not easy but it is worth it.
4.7 Collaboration for individualistic cultures
Very often, the best engineering solution comes from a collaboration.
Sometimes it is the quiet individual in the back, who if he / she
felt safe enough to speak, could add a great deal to the
conversation. They may not want to speak in such a harsh
environment. When doing truly creative innovation, you need to be
able to be vulnerable with each other. If the environment harshly
rejects mistakes or incomplete thoughts, much is lost.
More communal cultures have the strength that (at their best) the
leadership concentrates on group achievement rather than individual
achievement.
5 Collaborative Innovation Network (COIN)
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There is a social science term called COIN [COIN] which may describe
what happens at IETF.
"COINs feature internal transparency and direct communication.
Members of a COIN collaborate and share knowledge directly with each
other, rather than through hierarchies. They come together with a
shared vision because they are intrinsically motivated to do so and
seek to collaborate in some way to advance an idea."
The features of COIN are:
-Ethical principles
-Trust and self-organization
-Knowledge accessible to everyone
-Internal honesty and transparency
6 Final thoughts
Things don't always work this way at the IETF. There are private
agendas, overly aggressive individuals, poor judgment, and just plain
mistakes. But, it is worth fighting to make it work according to our
core values
The IETF has to approach being a meritocracy. The technical
solutions have to approach being the best. Otherwise, this whole
thing would fall apart
And, clearly, it hasn't
7 Security Considerations
There are no security considerations.
8 IANA Considerations
There are no IANA considerations.
9 References
9.1 Normative References
9.2 Informative References
[Baker] Baker, F. "Journey from I-D to RFC", Work In Progress,
November 2015
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[Carpenter] Carpenter, B. "What is an Author of an IETF Stream
Draft?", draft-carpenter-whats-an-author-02, Work In Progress, June
2015
[Clark] Clark, D. "A Cloudy Crystal Ball -- Visions of the Future",
http://groups.csail.mit.edu/ana/People/DDC/future_ietf_92.pdf, July
1992
[COIN] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborative_innovation_network
10 Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank (in alphabetical order) Mike
Ackermann, Fred Baker, Brian Carpenter, Ralph Droms, Marius
Georgescu, Vinayak Hegde, William Jouris, Victor Kuarsingh, Mirjam
Kuehne, Carlos Martinez, Christian O'Flaherty, Gowri Visweswaran and
Greg Wood for their comments and review.
Authors' Addresses
Nalini Elkins
Inside Products, Inc.
36A Upper Circle
Carmel Valley, CA 93924
United States
Phone: +1 831 659 8360
Email: nalini.elkins@insidethestack.com
http://www.insidethestack.com
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