Wayne Reed loves getting involved; he enjoys participating and interacting – he is the epitome of a 'people person.' After graduating college, he was commissioned into the US Army as a 2nd lieutenant, and was with the Corps of Engineers for 10 years, travelling worldwide. His first job coming out of the Army in 2016 was with a general contractor building a major expressway in Monroe, North Carolina - and his work on the expressway attracted the attention of AtkinsRéalis.
(The contractor had said to Reed: "These are ITS and tolling plans, can you figure this out - we need to get this job completed"). He figured it out and subsequently joined AtkinsRéalis, where mentor Bob LaGatta urged him to join IBTTA. "He just said: 'Get involved, sign up!"
And Reed – who has recently been appointed the company's division manager of the East/South region - got involved, joining the planning committee for an IBTTA event in Cleveland, Ohio, and then being put forward to moderate his first session. "I fell in love with it," he laughs. "And for every event from there, I tried to get involved in the planning committee, which led to me doing multiple sessions."
Lightbulb moment
These were, for want of a better word, 'standard' sessions where the moderator introduces speakers on a topic such as data analytics or all-electronic tolling, for instance; the speakers present and discuss, with the moderator chipping in from time to time, keeping things on the rails, and then summing up. We've all seen them – they're a staple of any conference.
But a lightbulb went on in Reed's head when he saw Pat Jones, IBTTA executive director and CEO, introducing a new meeting format – an 'Open Space' session – at IBTTA's Nashville Maintenance Workshop last July.
"Pat Jones ran it: it was amazing," recalls Reed. "It was an opportunity for everyone to contribute what they were thinking about - there's no agenda."
In Open Space, the participants themselves define the agenda and self-organize to discuss the issues most important to them. The idea is that this leads to conversations about solving real-world problems. Jones himself said of Open Space: "It may seem a little chaotic at first, but it turns out that chaos is the way the fields of the mind are ploughed so that new ideas can grow."
The IBTTA DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Committee, of which Reed is a member, thought an Open Space would create an impactful session at the next event, the Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Seattle. Jones, in turn, thought that Reed would be ideal to lead it. "I just kind of grabbed the bull by its horns!" Reed laughs.
Setting up the conversation
The Open Space format has great potential when set up correctly. "I think the format is great if you set up the conversation correctly, to lead people into the topic, you make sure people are comfortable and understand the rules," Reed says. "By gathering all the information and ideas at the end, documenting that information, and following up towards solutions, Open Space can lead to real progress. When done right, it becomes a space where great ideas are generated, and meaningful discussion occurs, leading to impactful follow-through."
The IBTTA DEI Committee is committed to leveraging the power of Open Space. It has been reviewing the information collated at their Open Space session and basing its strategy this year on what was said to show people that their topics and concerns are being taken seriously.
"By doing that, I think we only can go upward," Reed says. While Open Space may not 'solve' issues immediately, it spurs generative thinking. "It almost seems as though you pose a question, and then more questions come in, and more questions," he smiles. "But I think that's good because it means we're thinking, asking hard questions, and trying to get solutions. "Part of the DEI Committee's work has been to create safe environments where members feel free to talk about topics such as race, religion, gender identity, or whatever the case may be.
When Reed facilitated his session in Seattle - Challenges and opportunities in DEI…What is next, and where do we go from here? – he deliberately fused two ways of meeting. "I made it a point to merge what we would traditionally do in a safe space and incorporate it into the Open Space so that participants would open up. This was specifically for DEI because we wanted people to know they were okay to talk, whether you're in a marginalised community, or the effects of different things on the black community, the Asian community, or the LGBTQ community and say: 'These are the challenges we're facing.' We want people to share their experiences without being judged or quiet."
Reed sees IBTTA as a place where that can happen, regardless of how difficult it might be for people in business to be vulnerable – or to bring up difficult topics – with their peers.
Moral, ethical responsibility
"We're all professionals," Reed says seriously. "And I think it's a moral, ethical responsibility for all of us - professionals - to conduct ourselves as such." The moderator of Open Space sessions has a significant role here. "It's important for the person who facilitates this to lead up and set a tone in the conversation and make people comfortable to say: 'This is truly a safe space, and we should discuss these issues.' And we found out, going around and listening to the conversations, that people felt comfortable enough to say: 'These are the things that affect me.' One of the awesome parts is hearing people discuss the social issues that are happening in the communities they live in. And now, it becomes less about the profession or the business we're working in and more about the clients and the people we serve, and how we can effectively come together in mutuality and unity, to give up on our differences, so we can be an example in our communities and make a difference to the clients that we serve."
The point of the DEI Committee is "ensuring there's an inclusive environment for everyone to have not just a seat at the table, but access to the same opportunity."
Open Space is still a new concept to IBTTA, so it's a bit early to expect concrete answers from the format. But Reed has learned that many people want to be involved. He urges them: "Be a part of the discussions, be a part of the events, get involved in the conversation."
Inevitably, the Open Space format – and DEI issues – are tricky territory for some people. "One of the rules of open spaces is the people that are there are the people that are supposed to be there," Reed says. And even if people disagree, he adds: "That's good because they're still being heard and exposed to new information, and diverse thinking is good for growth and development, whether in agreement or disagreement. We have to be okay with people being not okay with the conversation. We have got to speak up and stand for what's right in a professional manner."
Open, safe and supportive environment
The DEI Task Committee was birthed out of the murder of George Floyd. Racial inequality was, therefore, a logical place to start. Still, Reed said that after a while, he and his fellow members realised they were ignoring key demographics who also needed to be included – the LGBTQ and neurodiverse communities, for example.
They are now speaking up, and he says: "We need to figure out how we capture it so everyone feels like they're a part of this and that our leadership within IBTTA and the businesses and companies and vendors here understand the importance of these topics."
Within AtkinsRéalis, Reed is the lead of the STAND employee resource group (ERG) for Black and African American employees.
"We're creating an open, safe, and supportive environment for Black and African American employees and allies to share their challenges and experiences with race and racism in and out of the workplace through education and awareness, creating a more inclusive workspace full of diverse ethnic backgrounds," he explains.
"We're saying we've got to have the conversation somewhere to make an influence or impact. I take many of my conversations in these spaces home and discuss them with family and children. I feel if we make an impact in people's lives here, they're going to go back and talk to people that are closest to them and make an impact in their lives - whether it's in their business or their home - and those people are going to go back and talk about the impact that made to them."
"So it's kind of like this multiplication thing – you're talking to someone who studied mathematics in college – so if we can continue to influence two people here, those two people will tell two more people, who continue to multiply. That's how the difference will be made, but we must be intentional about our actions. And that's what we're doing here at IBTTA – being deliberate."
