On 16th July 2013 the Guardian raised the important question:
āIs food the future of philanthropy?ā
This was as part of their report on Free Cakes UK – a service that matches keen amateur bakers with families struggling to provide their child with a birthday cake – delivering its 1,000th cake. Proving that perhaps, in this case anyway, cake is the answer to big questions.
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the world (Glasgow), on the same day, I (Fiona Wood) was starting my journey as a new IRISS employee.
I came to IRISS from a series of academic research posts in collaboration with various Scottish Higher Education Institutes and NHS Boards but I donāt have a healthcare background. In fact my background is as an academic researcher specialising in designing programs of activity for childrenās outdoor play and learning.
So whatās it like for an academic/designer suddenly finding they work in the field of social services after years of working in education and health care? Well, let me tell youā¦.
IRISS is different from any other place Iāve ever worked before. The office is large and open with all staff (including our director) sitting in the same space. At one end there are three sofas used for meetings, chatting, eating, reading and so on.
At the other end there is a bright pink wall with the words ālearning, partnership, creativityā embossed in white across it. Below this phrases like āyou are what you shareā, āan essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to failā and āIf you canāt explain it simply, you donāt understand it well enoughā inspire the organisation.
There is bunting on the ceiling and always a fresh supply of chocolates, biscuits, lots of fruit and, of course, cake!
But, does this style of working work I hear you ask? Well, a colleague, also new to IRISS, summed it up pretty well I think when they said:
āHappier workers are more productive. Get the environment right and everyone functions properly and you produce some nice workā.
So yes, I think it works.
Now, how does this compare to other organisations Iāve worked for? Well, before IRISS I worked as a researcher in a hospital. There were not open offices, there were not sofas or relaxed spaces for staff to interact with one other and there certainly werenāt any pink walls with inspirational quotes. But there was cake.
However, in the hospital the cake wasnāt shared across hierarchies because there were doors in the way. The doctors had their cake; the nurses had their cake; the researchers hadā¦.well we would steal everyone elseās cake. The point is, everyone had a specific role and they stuck to it. They didnāt share ideas, they didnāt listen to one another, and they didnāt know what was going on with each otherās work. Instead, day in, day out, they came in and did their work and didnāt stop and think and question one another. This is not co-production.
At IRISS, there is a lot of listening and asking colleagues what they are working on; there is a lot of sharing ideas; and a lot of engaging with one another and openly questioning each other in a friendly way. Each of the staff members have a broad range of skills that they creatively feed into the organisation. This supports the wide variety of projects currently taking place within IRISS, allowing a spectrum of social service issues to be addressed and considered from a wide perspective.
The resulting difference is that in IRISS there is no room for egos or hierarchies.
I am reminded of the striking difference between these two approaches when I attend meetings with external partners. Iāve observed Health and Social Care professionals pointing the finger at one another and complaining about the āarranged marriageā they are facing at the start of 2014. There is no conversation, no listening, no questioning, no engaging ā instead I see more closed doors, more talking, more blaming.
It is clear more needs to be done to create a happy and collaborative relationship between these groups.
Perhaps they could learn from IRISS.
But what is the solution I hear you ask? Well, itās been 9 weeks so far and Iām not yet sure, but as a starting point I suggest that if we really are going to work together to make a difference for people in Scotland receiving care through Social Services then we have to be willing to listen to one another and actually hear what the other parties are saying.
In short, if youāre going to have your cake and eat it, at least share it with your colleagues too [and that includes your external colleagues and those from other sectors].
Through conversation with other workshop members everyone has opportunities to share, relate and learn through the exploration of types of experiences they have in common. So far we have created a playlist of the workshop members favourite songs, and we can map the places in the world that they hold dear to their heart.
