A hospital isn't a building. The building is just a helpful tool. A hospital is a group of people - doctors, nurses, administrative and custodial staff, and of course, patients - who have come together for the purpose of healing. If you doubt this, ask yourself: if you were sick, would you rather go to a group of doctors and nurses without their tools, or an empty hospital building?
Similarly, an open source project isn't a code base or a license. It's a group of people, and the purpose that brings them together.
Do you have a project that's struggling? Too much work to do, and not enough help? Or do people want to help, but you're not sure how they can? Do you need money, or time, or grace, but are afraid to ask? Do you wish you understood your users' needs better? Or are you the user, tired of feeling disempowered and exploited by the technology you use?
The Relational Technology approach can help you.
Too much technology is built by big corporations who don't care about their users, or their users' relationship to the workers building the tech. They create exploitative technologies that bring out the worst in people, rather than the best.
Free and open source software is meant to empower people. But we focus too much on code and licenses. Pressed for time and resources, we don't prioritize building strong, resilient, accountable, meaningful relationships.
That needs to change. Because good technology is built by people with good relationships.
Not convinced?
Why We Need Relational Tech The Relational Tech ApproachNot sure if any of these services are right for you? Schedule a free consultation call to talk through the challenges you're facing.
We've got an ever-growing collection of resources to help you strengthen relationships with contributors, users, funders, and other partners. Check out our guides to creating psychological safety, detecting burnout before it gets bad, and tasks that help contributors grow into leaders.
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