Documentation is key for “Inclusion”
“Knowledge is Power” is more #we than #me. Documentation helps rebalance the power deficit for all.
Ever heard the saying “knowledge is power”? Or are you more familiar with “the more you know”? Both allude to the fact that the more knowledge you have, the more social and economic wealth you hold. Early references to such a concept date back to 1158 in old Islam texts. Thomas Jefferson would often refer to the “important truths” as knowledge is power, safety, and happiness (quote).
I had heard these sayings all my life, and it wasn’t until reaching adulthood or even motherhood that I started to question my interpretation and understanding of what it truly means or implies. You see, for as long as I could remember, knowledge was about personal gain and growth. It was more “me” than “we.” I now believe the opposite.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” — Dr. Seuss
As a mother, it is my primary responsibility to ensure my son has as much knowledge of the world as possible so he can survive and thrive. I do this by imparting not only my experience but introducing many books and concepts. The cycle continues as he goes on to school and into his adulthood. He will be exposed to different perspectives and have his own experiences, which will keep growing his knowledge.
We are not equal, but with equity and specialized care, he can achieve a similar result.
The idea that knowledge is more “we” rather than “me,” led to two realizations:
- To understand the power gained by knowledge, it is vital to understand the power lost without it.
- Documentation is the medium by which we rebalance the power deficit.
Knowledge Creates A Power Deficit
As a technologist, I couldn’t help but draw from concepts such as Load Balancing. Load Balancing is the act of distributing workloads through some algorithm across multiple components to avoid overwhelming a single component.
You can draw a parallel from the coworker who has all the knowledge in their head. This person is the hero during times of need, but if they go on vacation or leave the company, the team falls apart, and there can be resentment. There is a definite power deficit with the team and the all-knowing coworker. At the same time, the coworker has their own power deficit struggle. They have excellent job security, but limited freedom and mobility. This is the power they cannot control similar to the saying “with great power comes great responsibility.”
The secret to knowing what path to take is to understand the power deficit.
“Tribal knowledge concentrates power in the hands of a privileged few. Privilege is a currency to be spent and shared, not hoarded jealousy against old age.” — Riona MacNamara, Senior Technical Writer @Google
In this scenario, the team is ultimately accountable as a single unit. Pressures will continue to come, and although some pretty remarkable humans can thrive in the harshest conditions, at the end of the day, we are still human and imperfect. The more knowledge shared within the team, the stronger the team is and capable of surviving most challenges.
Documentation Rebalances the Power Deficit
Documentation is one of those things that everyone knows is important, but very few prioritize it, and even fewer create it.
Documentation gives everyone an equal playing ground. It puts the knowledge from a privileged few in the hands of everyone, regardless of their standing.
Take the new hire, for example. Joining a new team or company can be very intimidating. Learning new processes, along with the social pressure of “getting it right” quickly and with minimal interruption to the team, is hard. Imposter syndrome can creep in. Documentation for “self-paced” learning can be a differentiator for ensuring the new hire can hit the ground running.
With the day to day stress of achieving goals and meeting deadlines, we lose sight of how essential contributions from others are for us. Contributions are needed for most cases unless you work entirely by yourself for yourself. Contributing requires we make ourselves vulnerable. We put our ideas, experience, and knowledge out there for it to be reviewed and accepted. It takes a lot of upfront psychological work to get to a comfortable place of regular contributions.
For this reason, we need to ease the barrier of entry for contributions from others. Contributions can come from team members, colleagues in other teams, family members, community members, and so forth. If you are building, designing, implementing, maintaining, or consuming anything that someone else will build, design, implement, maintain, or consume, you will need to write documentation! Put yourself in their shoes. Think about the documentation you disliked the most and make sure to do the opposite.
“Psychological safety is paramount, and documentation is critical to creating a safe, welcoming, and equitable environment for all contributors to succeed.” — Riona MacNamara, Senior Technical Writer @Google
It is true that documentation will extend the time it will take you to achieve your goal. When you find yourself battling with that fact, remember the power deficit and the imbalance created with knowledge lost. Does it yield an interruption-free vacation or a multiple-week delay because of a customer-impacting issue?
Let’s share what we know with the world! #WriteTheDocs #CaringIsSharing
What will you document today for the greater good?
Interested in improving equity at work?
Equity at Work Social Room strives for workplaces free of inequities across the employee experience for all people.
Everyone’s voice matters!