Re: [ietf-nomcom] Experiment in "full transparency"

[Stephen Farrell <[e-mail]>]

FWIW, my take on your questions...

On 12/11/17 23:17, S Moonesamy wrote:
> Hi John,
> At 09:24 AM 12-11-2017, John C Klensin wrote:
>> I think this is true.  At the same time, having liaisons present
>> who explain "how things work" in the relevant bodies creates an
>> inherent bias toward keeping them working that way, possibly as
>> well as reinforcing some tendencies toward returning incumbents
>> (if only in the interest of stability and continuity).
> 
> It seems that it is not clear whether the non-member of NomCom serves as
> a liaison or an advisor.  Is it up to the liaison to tell NomCom: "don't
> pay too much attention to what is written; this is how things actually
> work" and implying that it should be kept like that?
> 

I think both liaison and advisor is right and yes I'd like that
liaisons do make the kind of statement you quote above. I'd not
like that liaisons try to direct what nomcom does and yes it
could be a fine line to tread.

>> I have similar concerns about liaisons participating in
>> interviews.  Depending on dynamics within the leadership bodies
>> (not just the one a particular liaison comes from) those
>> liaisons may bring strong biases for or against an incumbent to
>> the interview or reports to the rest of the Nomcom about the
>> interview as well as insights into how an incumbent is or is not
>> effective and how they play well with others.
> 
> Is there a rationale for a liaison to participate in a NomCom
> interview?  I don't have a strong opinion about whether where it causes
> a bias for or against an incumbent as it is up to NomCom members to make
> the decision(s).

IIRC, it helped with logistics - 10 voting members trying to
interview O(50) folks during the November IETF when they all
have other stuff to do is hard to schedule, so having 5 or
6 more folks who can help in interviews, e.g. taking notes or
ensuring that questions aren't forgotten/skipped seems to me
to be useful. When I was the IESG's liaison I avoided any of
the interviews for AD roles, and only sat in on one or maybe
two of the other interviews, I think other liaisons helped
out more.

S.

> 
> Regards,
> S. Moonesamy
>