|
| 1 | +## Title |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +Code of Conduct |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +## Patlet |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +Communications and interactions between collaborators are rude, not inclusive or offensive, harming and increasing the discussions without any value added. |
| 8 | +A Code of Conduct provides guidelines for establishing rules and expectations regarding behavior and interactions within the community to build stronger levels of collaboration. |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | +## Problem |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +InnerSource initiatives often involve collaboration among individuals and teams from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. |
| 13 | +The absence of clear rules of communication and interaction leaves room for ambiguity and potential conflicts within the InnerSource community. |
| 14 | +Without established guidelines, members may engage in behavior that is harmful, discriminatory, or counterproductive, leading to a breakdown in collaboration and trust. |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +## Context |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +This pattern emerges when the communications between different team members are very far away of the goals, focused on personal references, blaming other opinions or following non-inclusive behaviors. |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +Some examples of this context: |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +* The organization has gone through a rapid growth phase, where maintaining a strong collaborative culture has suffered. |
| 23 | +* The organization has acquired multiple smaller organizations over a short period of time, and each of these organizations bring their own slightly different culture. |
| 24 | +* The organization is highly distributed over multiple countries, nationalities, cultures, and timezones. |
| 25 | +* Members of different teams at the organization have not established strong inter-personal relationships. |
| 26 | +* Previous attempts to establish ground rules for collaboration have been treated as mere lip service, and have had little to no effect. |
| 27 | + |
| 28 | +## Forces |
| 29 | + |
| 30 | +* Define or establish rules of communication to avoid conflicts. |
| 31 | +* Create a welcoming, respectful and inclusive environment to foster more collaboration. |
| 32 | +* Create trusted relationships across different teams. |
| 33 | +* Create the environment where all community members feel safe and valued. |
| 34 | +* Connect to corporate's compliance, and business ethics. |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +## Solution |
| 37 | + |
| 38 | +Develop a Code of Conduct that outlines expected behavior, including guidelines for communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution. |
| 39 | +The Code of Conduct will articulate the shared values and principles of the InnerSource community, fostering a sense of belonging and common purpose, such as: |
| 40 | + |
| 41 | +- **Diversity**: InnerSource communities may consist of individuals with varying cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and communication styles. |
| 42 | +- **Trust**: Building trust among community members is essential for effective collaboration and knowledge sharing. |
| 43 | +- **Inclusivity**: A Code of Conduct and Social Contract can promote inclusivity by setting expectations for respectful behavior and interactions. |
| 44 | +- **Accountability**: Clear guidelines help hold community members accountable for their actions and contributions. |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | +## Implementation |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | +The adoption of well-known handbooks, such as the [Contributor Covenant](https://www.contributor-covenant.org/), or the adaptation of some internal employee handbooks for members of the organization are good starting points for implementation of this pattern. |
| 49 | +However, adopt the following life cycle can improve the implementation and adoption of the Code of Conduct in an InnerSource community: |
| 50 | + |
| 51 | +1. Collaboratively draft the Code of Conduct, involving input from community members representing diverse perspectives. |
| 52 | +2. Seek feedback and consensus from the community to ensure buy-in and ownership of the guidelines. |
| 53 | +3. Publish the finalized documents in a prominent location accessible to all community members, such as the [InnerSource portal](https://patterns.innersourcecommons.org/p/innersource-portal) or communication channels. |
| 54 | +4. Regularly review and update the Code of Conduct as needed to reflect evolving community norms and values. |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +A good practice for the third point is to share the Code of Conduct in each InnerSource community repository as a file named `CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md`. |
| 57 | +In order to avoid content duplication of the Code of Conduct, another good practice is include a reference to a centralized resource within the organization where the content is published to all the InnerSource projects. |
| 58 | +This file can be part of the [Standard Base Documentation](../2-structured/base-documentation.md) of any InnerSource project repository. |
| 59 | + |
| 60 | + |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | +It is important to understand that simply adopting a Code of Conduct will not prevent conflict or toxicity in the InnerSource project. |
| 63 | +The [Core Team](https://patterns.innersourcecommons.org/p/core-team) and [Dedicated Community Leader](https://patterns.innersourcecommons.org/p/dedicated-community-leader) are responsible for the safe, fair, and transparent enforcement of the community's code of conduct. |
| 64 | +That responsibility will imply provide a reporting process, a gathering information process and the consequences of any unacceptable behavior. |
| 65 | +These references must be part of the Code of Conduct to encourage the behavior expected in the InnerSource project. |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +## Resulting Context |
| 68 | + |
| 69 | +With a well-defined Code of Conduct in place, the InnerSource community can cultivate a culture of respect, trust, and collaboration. |
| 70 | +Community members feel empowered to contribute openly and engage in meaningful dialogue, leading to enhanced innovation and problem-solving. |
| 71 | + |
| 72 | +## Known Instances |
| 73 | + |
| 74 | +- Red Hat - Many of the internal communities |
| 75 | +- National Australia Bank |
| 76 | + |
| 77 | +## Authors |
| 78 | + |
| 79 | +- Roman Martin Gil |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | +## Acknowledgments |
| 82 | + |
| 83 | +- Matt Cobby - Adding the National Australia Bank reference |
| 84 | + |
| 85 | +## References |
| 86 | + |
| 87 | +- [InnerSource Commons Pattern - Standard Base Documentation](../2-structured/base-documentation.md) |
| 88 | +- [Open Practice Library - Social Contract](https://openpracticelibrary.com/practice/social-contract/) |
| 89 | +- [Contributor Covenant](https://www.contributor-covenant.org/) |
| 90 | +- [GitHub Open Source Guide: Code of Conduct](https://opensource.guide/code-of-conduct/) |
| 91 | + |
| 92 | +## Status |
| 93 | + |
| 94 | +- Initial |
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