[Osmf-talk] Board statement - Membership Working Group report on unusual signups before OSMF election

[Christoph Hormann]

On Friday 01 February 2019, joost schouppe wrote:
> [...] There seems to be a pattern of us "forgetting" about
> properly engaging our partners (this BTW cannot be attributed to any
> one fraction of the Board). But that should be relatively easy to
> fix.

You are still new on the board so i should not put too much weight on 
such statements but i think you are seriously mistaken here.

This would probably be about the hardest thing the board has ever done.  
Just look at the efforts from the past several years, in particular by 
Peter, to achieve some more transparency in the board.  Despite those 
we still have a widespread animosity towards or fear of transparency in 
board work by many board members and a strong habit of 'secrecy by 
default'.  And that although almost every time things are done in 
secret this falls onto the board's feet at some point.

Old habits die hard - or as i like to put it - transparency does not 
triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but 
rather because its opponents eventually retire, and a new generation 
grows up that is familiar with it. 

This is in particular why i applaud the MWGs firm and principled stand 
on the matter of transparency.  No matter how reasonable arguments for 
a minimal further delay might be - there is a deeply rooted pattern 
here where it is very good if the working groups do not adjust to the 
habits of the board and that and this way help breaking the pattern.

-- 
Christoph Hormann
http://www.imagico.de/