Project Management and Design Thinking Lessons Learned from Nature: Why some animals eat the ass first… and that’s ok.
Hyenas are perceived as scavengers, lesser hunters than lions, unworthy of the meals they quickly consume…
However, just like the misperceptions about Instructional Design as an Industry/Profession, the Hyena’s bad rap comes, not from malice, but from labels being placed upon us by outsiders that do not fully understand what they are looking at. Hyenas are often pictured scurrying away from larger predators and snapping at their heels as they tuck into a feast or drag away a fresh kill. However, biologists and researchers have helped debunk this view by tracking and filming the Hyenas during the hunt. It is the Lion that steals the kill from the Instructional Designer, I mean Hyena.
Comment 1 – Predators that lack the tools required to kill their own prey will rely on what they do have to do the job…
What this means for project management and instructional design is that you will often be asked to complete a project without being given an abundance of resources and/or finances. You will need to use what you have at your disposal (or what can be freely accessed) to complete most of your projects.
Comment 2 – Often the biggest, closest, and softest target is what is going to get attacked first…
Projects do not have to be tackled in chronological delivery order, or any particular order, really. If there is a large chunk of content that can be worked on with your SME to help them understand what you are capable of and what their ideas can look like, then that is a fine place to start.
Comment 3 – Horns, antlers, beaks, etc. are to be avoided when attacking your prey…
Do not start the project discussion off with your SME, or anyone for that matter, with the toughest topic that is most likely to get them on the defensive. You should avoid these more difficult areas at first until you have created a better situation for yourself in the project to discuss them.
Comment 4 – Even though they can bring down the prey animal, hyena’s cannot stop Lions from taking some of their kills…
Instructional designers are often placed within their organizations in areas where their efforts are part of larger endeavors and can be easily overshadowed in the project depending on how much of a signal boost they receive from the project’s managers and organization leadership.
In other words, sometimes you have to run forward without being properly equipped to tackle a project by immediately starting with the easiest to develop piece of content that is most likely to be deliverable by the SME, all while avoiding any of the fatal mistakes that can kill a new project, and even then you might only get just enough recognition to keep you in the game for the next project. Sometimes you have to eat the ass first, and that’s ok.
The excerpt below is what fueled my thoughts on Project Management and Design Thinking. From Reddit user Pardusco:
- Many cursorial predators lack the tools necessary to quickly kill their prey. While felids are capable of using their forelimbs to assist in restraining and killing prey, canids and hyenas do not possess this trait and can only use their jaws as weapons.
- Most prey animals instinctively run away from their predators, so the rear is the closest target. Also, that area is usually softer and makes it easier to access the rest of the carcass, especially in animals that have tough hides, such as buffalo.
- Animals almost always defend themselves while facing their assailant. Horns, antlers, beaks, and teeth can cause serious damage, which makes it harder to go for the neck for a quick kill. Canids and hyenas work in groups to eliminate this risk. While the prey is focused on one individual another can go in for the attack. This strategy quickly tires out the victim and it is eventually unable to further defend itself due to blood loss, shock, and exhaustion.
- Social carnivores quickly consume their meals to avoid attracting larger predators. Lone hunters cannot afford to let their prey scream or squeal, since they cannot defend the kill by themselves.
Remember, incapacitation is the goal of almost every predator. This goal is achieved in various methods such as killing, paralyzing, envenomating, or crippling their prey.
Leave a Reply