Four Months Later: Takeaways From The Public Radio Incubation Lab
The Public Radio Incubation Lab launched with the goal of “bringing transformative ideas to life in public media,” with equal emphasis on how we set about that work as well as what that work eventually produces. The first Lab team tackled the question of how to leverage digital scale to drive value to NPR Member stations.
I was the station participant in the first rotation of the Lab. Here’s what I’m bringing back to Vermont Public Radio and why I encourage general managers from other stations to support their staff in applying for future Lab rotations.
The first rotation of the Lab officially wrapped in early July. In the final weeks, as we were sharing our work in webinars, brown bags and a public demo, a number of people asked me what did I get out of the Lab and what, if anything, will I bring back to my role as digital director at VPR?
I also heard from colleagues at other stations who were curious about applying for future rotations and wanted to know the cost/benefit for stations considering applying. Essentially, they were asking me “is it worth it to invest the time to participate?”
I won’t bury the lede: I do think it was a very valuable experience and I’m very glad I had the opportunity to participate. Here’s why I think so, and why I encourage other stations to apply.
A Seat At The Table
I won’t save the best for last. The biggest benefit for your station is that you truly have a seat at the table as NPR and Member stations collaborate to address the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the system. Of course, all Member stations have a say in how we work all the time, but this is a new seat at a different table.
With the Lab, you’re there from the beginning, representing stations, yours and others. You bring the perspective of your market and the values of your community. You’re helping to ensure that anything the team develops for stations will work for your station — that it complements your workflow and helps achieve your goals — helping to ensure that it works for other stations, too.
You’re also advancing concepts that could have far-reaching impact in the not-too-distant future. The Lab team is “charged with advancing actionable, real-world solutions that can benefit the entire digital network of public radio.” Given that focus, the lessons you learn are shared out immediately (e.g., on this blog) and the ideas you incubate could possibly be rolled out or added to the road map in the near term.
Your presence in the Lab also amplifies your voice. If you ever feel that your station is just one among many, or if you’re from a small or medium station and you don’t always feel heard over larger markets, this is a way to stand out more and contribute in meaningful ways.
Perhaps most importantly, you’re part of the team exploring and developing new ways of collaborating for the entire system. Becoming a more collaborative news, digital and fundraising network will require changes in how NPR and Member stations work together as much as what it is we do. As a member of the Lab, you get the chance to step outside the daily routines, look at how things are now, consider new ways of being and ultimately/hopefully affect positive change. And while the “process” often isn’t considered to be as sexy as the “product,” it’s really valuable that the team can give so much focus to the process, because it’s in how we work together that we develop trust, strengthen the culture and move everyone together.
New Approaches & Practices
If you’re looking for an infusion of ideas and creativity around how you and your colleagues work together, the Lab gives you a chance to immerse yourself in new ways of operating and update yourself on some shared practices that may have evolved.
Personally, I appreciated the Lab’s grounding in design thinking. Some of the concepts we put to practice included being intentional about when our process should “flare vs focus;” encouraging a user-centered approach to everything we do, not just content projects; and being comfortable with ambiguity and non-reaction to allow the time and space for problem-finding. There are regular opportunities for me to bring these ideas into my role at VPR, to support the areas where we do this well and to share and encourage the ideas more generally.
Beyond new concepts you also gain exposure to methodologies and tools that you may or may not have used before, or may not have used at this scale. For some, the biggest value might come from weeks of applying agile practices such as scrum, sprints, retros, iteration and inspection. For others, they might return to their stations with the improved tools for digital collaboration, such as G-Drive, Trello, Slack or (lots and lots of) GoToMeetings.
Professional Development (And Shake Things Up)
To me, the Lab was like an intense fellowship: it was a rare opportunity to step away from my day-to-day role for an extended period and to dive into the bigger challenges and uncertainties that swirl around all of us in public media. Having the time to engage in challenging, creative, generative, impactful work was professionally rewarding in and of itself, and I appreciated the chance to shift perspectives for a few months.
There are other rewards, too, such as building new relationships with colleagues around the network, working from NPR headquarters and enjoying a few weeks in Washington, D.C. (if that appeals to you). As much as I enjoyed the change of pace in my work, I also enjoyed a temporary change of place.
Of course, I could not have participated without the support of my VPR colleagues. I was able to step out of my role for a few months because others were willing to take over some of my responsibilities: that’s especially true of my immediate team and department, but also true of other colleagues across various scopes of work. Any time an employee is on some sort of leave it can be a challenge to manage, but it can also be a professional development opportunity for those who get the chance to step in where another steps out, which that can strengthen the organization overall, too.
Mitigating The Costs
Thanks to generous funding, the Lab is able to cover costs and expenses to compensate your station for the months of time you dedicate to the work. Even so, there are other trade-offs to consider to participate.
Inevitably there are some things to which you’ll have to say “no” and “not now.” There was work I had to say no to, projects I had to defer, opportunities I had to pass on, etc. This is the reality for most of us — every day we make decisions about what gets reprioritized or reassigned or totally reconsidered — the Lab just replaces most of your calendar and to-do list for four months.
At the same time, there is also work that you might want to defer but it can’t wait a few months for your attention. Even though we were all committed to the Lab work full time, all members of the team had to cycle into our day jobs on occasion. During my time in the rotation I still had to work on my FY20 budget, participate in management team meetings and even pitch on-the-air during the Pledge Drive [insert joke about the inevitability of Pledge Drives here].
Do It (At Least Consider It Strongly)
No doubt, there are costs and impacts from making this four month committing. But in my (one) experience, those costs can be managed. And given the professional development opportunities, the lessons-learned that can benefit your station, and, most critically, the importance and urgency of the Lab’s work, I absolutely think it’s worth it.
For all those reasons I encourage leadership at stations to consider this opportunity and, if at all possible, encourage and support your staff in applying for future rotations of the Lab.
Note: The participants in the second rotation of the Lab begin their work soon, and applications for the third rotation will open in the coming weeks/months. If you have any questions about my experience or about the Lab in general, please contact me via VPR or on Twitter at @jonathanpb.
