YWAM Information Technology - How we view YWAM affects IT. - Comments

Person centric vs Group centric

Robert — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 09:46:41 +0000

Our own cultural background shapes and influences everything that we do. Most of the time, we are unconscious of it and can't see it. If anyone wants to look into their own cultural background and how it affects their work relationships then this website on Business Cultures is great. It includes this article especially focused on "INDIVIDUALISM VERSUS COLLECTIVISM", that is personal vs. group centric cultures.

How we view - question

kent — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 07:52:11 +0000

So you have a felt â€œIT needâ€. You have alerted us to how we might see the need (from a group culture or an individual culture) and hence a foundational value assumption of the solution provided.

I also hope when we develop solutions we also look at the viewpoint of those we are communicating to. What are their values, how do they see the world, how do they interact with the technology? Because they might not be the same as us.

Donovan is right â€“ itâ€™s good to step back and think about our assumptions.

One thing though is I donâ€™t understand your questions. â€œWhich view comes more easily to you? Would you naturally focus on individuals in creating solutions, or would you naturally focus on bases or teams?â€ My answer is neither, so it doen't help me at all see what you are trying to say in the rest of the article.

Fantastic Blog

Donovan — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 06:27:14 +0000

This is a fantastic and thought provoking article. We often make assumptions about how we see things without really stepping back to think about it.

How we view YWAM affects IT.

Robert — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 05:25:54 +0000

The way we view YWAM affects the kind of IT systems that we build.

To illustrate how our view of YWAM affects IT, this lets look at the area of web presence of YWAMers and YWAM ministries. Leaders across the mission see different things when they see YWAM.

If we look at YWAM and see individual YWAM staff and their needs then we will build solutions that are person-centric. We will build systems that help our staff to create web presence separate from the base where they are studying or serving. For the person moving from base to base, this means that their move does not affect the way that their information is presented to the world. In this approach the context for the person's web presence would be the whole mission.

If however we look at YWAM and see groups of people working together, we will approach things in a quite different way. For example, we may approach things from a base-centric or team-centric way. A base oriented solution would offer staff and students the opportunity to create a web presence in the context of the web presence of the overall base. The individual's pages, blogs, photo albums, and so on will be presented as a part of a bigger whole that is smaller than the whole mission.

There are also variations here. For some parts of YWAM the natural grouping my not be at the base level. YWAM in some countries may have a desire for a highly integrated strategy that creates a national-centric presence for YWAM, its bases and all its staff.

And of course, lets not forget the family of ministries. When some leaders look at YWAM the first thing they see is the UofN or Kings Kids. If that is true, then the systems that they build would be oriented around the needs of that group. We could call this family-of-ministry centric.

The way we look at YWAM is linked to the way we look at life in general. If we come from a more individualistic cultural background, we may see YWAM in one way. On the other hand, if we are from a more group oriented culture, we may tend to see YWAM differently. For many YWAM leaders, separating the person from the group to create solutions makes no sense at all. For others, it makes perfect sense.

When we are talking about our IT needs, lets be clear about what is at the centre of the needs we are seeing! Are we seeing this need as primarily the need of many individuals or is it a group need. These multiple views of YWAM are part of our mission. Which view comes more easily to you? Would you naturally focus on individuals in creating solutions, or would you naturally focus on bases or teams?

Topic of Conversation (see more)

1. Foundational Values and Ways of YWAM

2. Diverse Locations