Understanding Open Management Practices

In a recent article on OpenSource.com, Heidi Hess von Ludewig spoke with DeLisa Alexander about Open Management Practices (OMP), a new resource created to help Red Hat managers understand their roles in an open organization. The best practices outlined in the resource are applicable outside of Red Hat, however, and are generally aimed at helping managers succeed. 

“The OMPs clarify the role of the manager and describe what great management looks like in Red Hat's open culture. Red Hat shares these practices because many are applicable to other open organizations, who can adapt them to fit their respective industries and organizational cultures.”

The practices, which are described in more detail on the GitHub site, include:

  • Inspire shared purpose
  • Deliver results through empowerment
  • Make decisions in an open and timely manner
  • Create an environment of belonging, respect, and mutual support

In the article, Alexander explained more about what “managing with open values” means, saying that contributors to open source communities, who are hired into decision-making roles, tend to lead like community members rather than like conventional executives. “The expectation was that the culture supported collaboration, participation, and community—the values of the open source community. They brought the culture with them, in other words. Upholding and catalyzing this culture via the body of community members into a profitable company is very important, and very different from proprietary software companies,” she said.

You can read the complete article at OpenSource.com.

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