‘Ubuntu is about showing humanity to one another: it captures the spirit of being human.’
This Code is neither exhaustive nor complete. It is not a rulebook. It serves to distil our common understanding of a collaborative, shared environment and goals. We expect it to be followed in spirit as much as in the letter.
(This is the current version of our Code of Conduct V2.0. Of course you may re-use it for your own organization, and modify it as you wish, just, please, allow others to use your Code of Conduct as well, and give credit to Ubuntu, so it can be spread around the world.)
Our Community
Ubuntu is about showing humanity to one another: it captures the spirit of being human.
As a productive, happy and agile community, we welcome new ideas in our complex and challenging work field. We seek to improve every day, creating the future while learning in the present from the past. We foster collaboration between groups of different needs, interests and skills. Diversity makes us stronger and unites us. And we seek collaboration from those who enhance that diversity.
Our Code of Conduct exists to ensure that the diversity we stand for leads to mutual advantage and enjoyment. We will challenge all prejudices that could jeopardise the participation of any person within or connected to our community and work.
Our Code of Conduct is a guideline on how to behave in public and in private whenever our actions at work or the choices we make privately, will be judged. And judged they will be. We expect the behaviour embraced in our code to be honoured by everyone who represents GreenDreamCompany formally and informally, everyone who claims affiliation with us and everyone who participates directly with us.
What We Strive To Do
Be careful and act with consideration
Everything we do affects others. Others rely upon our activities, as we in return depend on the work of others. We are part of a chain. Every decision can be taken reasonably independently, but when making decisions we should consider the effect on our colleagues and all others involved.
Be respectful
The contribution of every colleague and everyone involved is very important. Disagreement is no excuse for poor manners. We work together to resolve conflicts, assume good intentions and do our best to act in an emphatic fashion. We do not allow frustration to turn into personal attacks. A community where people feel uncomfortable or even threatened is not a productive one.
Take responsibility for your words and actions
It is better to do something and make a mistake than it is to opt to do nothing. When we make mistakes, we take responsibility for them. If someone has been harmed or offended, we listen carefully and respectfully, and work to right the wrong.
Understand the whole and be collaborative
What we create, is the sum of many dreams. We cannot achieve this alone. It needs collaboration between a diversity of disciplines and teams that also have their own goals and visions.
The total creation is the result of the sum of many parts and the added value of the collaboration. Therefore each part needs to know and understand their own contribution and its importance to the whole. Collaboration improves the quality of our work. Internally and externally, we celebrate good collaboration. Openness, transparency and communication are vital. Informing the public in a manner that allows them to be connected and contribute is also important.
Value disagreements, clarity and consensus
Disagreements, social and technical, are part of life. Also within organizations. Constructive disagreements are very useful, best ideas often come from a different point of view. Nonconstructive disagreements are not welcome. We expect our community to resolve disagreements by seeking advice from colleagues. If they cannot solve the issue, the matter will be scaled to the leaders, who can mediate and provide clarity and direction.
Ask for help when unsure
Nobody is expected to be perfect in our community. Consulting colleagues in early stages avoids many problems later, so questions are encouraged. We expect all to be responsive and helpful if requested to advise; next time it could be you seeking consultation.
Step down considerately
When somebody leaves the company, or the project is being handed over to another colleague, even for a holiday period or temporary leave, we ask that this is done in a way that minimizes disruption or delay to our projects. Notice should be given in advance and time taken to create a smooth handover to a colleague.
Leadership
We all lead by example, in debate and in action. We encourage new members of our community to feel empowered to lead to take action, and to experiment when they feel innovation could improve work and projects. Leadership can be exercised by anyone simply by taking action, there is no need to wait for formal recognition when the opportunity to lead in a respectful and constructive way presents itself.
Delegation from the top
Leadership is not an award, right or title: it is a privilege, a responsibility and a mandate. A leader will only retain their authority as long as they retain the support of those who delegated that authority to them. We delegate decision making, governance and leadership from all our departments, to the most able and engaged colleagues.
We value discussion, data and decisiveness
We gather opinions, data and commitments from concerned parties before taking a decision. We expect leaders to help teams come to a decision in a reasonable time, to seek guidance or be willing to take the decision themselves when consensus is lacking and to take responsibility for implementation. There is no guarantee of making a perfect decision every time. We prefer to err, to learn, and to err less in the future, than to postpone action indefinitely.
We recognize that a project works better when we trust the teams closest to a problem to make the decision required to resolve the problem. Ultimately, if a decision taken by those with the responsibility is supported by the project governance, it will stand. None of us expects to agree with every decision, and we value highly the ability to stand by the project and help it deliver even on the occasion when we ourselves may personally prefer a different route.
Teamwork
A leader’s foremost goal is the success of the team. A leader is being judged by the success of the team. A leader knows when to act and when to step back. They know when to delegate and when to take it upon themselves.
Credit, courage and considerateness
A good leader does not seek the limelight, but celebrates team members for the work they do. Leaders may be more visible than members of the team; good leaders use that visibility to highlight the great work of others.
Leadership occasionally requires bold decisions that will not be widely understood, consensual or popular. We value the courage to take such decisions where they enable projects to move forward faster than they could if complete consensus was required. Nevertheless, boldness demands consideration: take bold decisions, but do so mindful of the challenges they present for others and work to soften adverse impacts. Early and clear communication of changes and the reasons for them is as important as the implementation of the change itself.
Conflicts of interest
We expect all to be aware when they may be conflicted due to employment, projects, investments or other activities they are involved in, abstaining from or delegating decisions that may be seen to be self-interested. We expect all, and leaders especially, to act with the goal of making life better for all involved.
Where there is even just the possibility of a conflict of interest being perceived, details should be shared with Ubuntu Impact Investments. When in doubt, ask for a second opinion. Perceived conflicts of interests are as important to address as actual conflicts of interest. As the qualified decision maker, act to ensure that decisions are credible even if they must occasionally be unpopular, difficult or more favorable to the interests of one group over another.