The Hawthorne Effect

 Kathleen Dollard, one of my favorite authors on software development, once made the remark that a lack of experience is holding our profession back. Over the years I’ve spent in software development, I’ve found substantial reason to agree. Here’s what I see as some of the obstacles to gaining a sound reservoir of experience in a software development organization. • The loss of experienced developers and architects from software development: Experienced developers and architects may go out the back door and take their experience with them. • Micromanagement by technically atrophied management: A number of times experienced developers go into management in software development organizations. Usually, their technical skills quickly atrophy, and they do not keep up with current software development processes. They may continue to give directions, but their directions make less and less sense because of the growing divergence between their own base of experience and current and appropr...

 William Ury, Getting Past No: Negotiating Your Way from Confrontation to Cooperation. New York: Bantam Books, 1993. Summary: Negotiation, whether informal or formal, can be tough. There are primarily five real world barriers to cooperation: · Your own reaction to attack and attempts at exploitation. · The other side’s anger, hostility, fear and distrust. · The other side’s rigid adherence to their position. · The other side’s unwillingness to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement. · The other side’s determination to win as a demonstration of power. The strategy to break through these barriers are these five steps: · Go to the Balcony. · Step to their side. · Reframe. · Build them a golden bridge. · Use power to educate. Preparation for a negotiating situation is highly urged, and concentrates on thinking through the four major points from the previous book, Getting to Yes, in regard to oneself and the other parties involved in the negotiation. GO TO THE BALCONY. The natural reac...

 Roger Fisher, William Ury and Bruce Patton, Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. Penguin Books, New York 1991. Summary: Principled negotiation is the central theme, where different parties work toward a common agreement based upon common principles, as opposed to positional negotiation, where different parties try to reconcile their different positions. Principled negotiation is deemed superior to positional negotiation in producing wise agreements, in efficiency at arriving over conclusions, and in preserving and improving ongoing relationships. Principled negotiation is based upon four major points: · People: separate the people from the problem. · Interests: focus on interests, not positions. · Options: generate a variety of possibilities before deciding what to do. · Criteria: insist that the result be based on some objective standard. It is also not simply ‘deal making,’ where both sides can become ‘partners in crime’, rather than working out decisions and...

 Roger Fisher and Alan Sharp, Getting It Done: How to Lead When You’re NOT in Charge. HarperCollins Publishers, New York 1999. Summary: The goal of this book is to define ways to produce high quality results through collaboration by lateral leadership. Lateral leadership is not guiding by superior authority but rather is inviting colleagues to work with you to solve problems. The primary guidelines are handled under a three step method to improve oneself first and then to guide others to change: · Organize and sharpen your personal skills at getting things done by yourself. · Understand clearly your strategic goal of getting things done with others. · Develop some tactics of participatory leadership. DEVELOP PURPOSE. · Sharpen your purpose: develop a purpose that motivates and guides you, in terms of results to be achieved. Formulate immediate objectives, mid range goals and a long term vision. · Everyone helps formulate a set of results to achieve together. · Lead in improving set...

Lessons in Building Unconditionally Constructive Working Relationships Roger Fisher and Scott Brown, Getting Together: Building Relationships As We Negotiate. New York: Penguin Books, 1989. Summary: In working relations and human relations in general there is considerable confusion as to what constitutes a good relationship in practical terms. Too often a good working relationship is considered in terms of agreement, approval or having shared values instead of good substantive outcomes that leave the concerned parties emotionally at ease and where differences have been effectively dealt with. Relationship is a process itself separate from its outcomes, and rather is to be pursued on its own merits. As a process, it is possible to implement a definite strategy to foster good working relationships. The definition of the strategy itself is so concise and striking, it bears full citation: An Unconditionally Constructive Strategy Do only those things that are both good for the relations...

 Most of what I put down in my previous post, Part I: How to Make a Consulting Gig Mutually Effective and Rewarding, had to do with defining the assignment and preparing for the new consultant. Here are some more suggestions that I have to make. Make Sure That All Prospective Interviewers Are Prepared. • Interviewers need to have a current copy of the consultant’s resume. When I’m interviewed about a prospective assignment, I usually have additional copies with my business card and contact information. It’s best to give any prospective interviewers a copy of the resume far enough in advance to go over and assess the fit of the consultant to the assignment. • Interviewers need to have a current job description for the assignment. The assignment is usually important enough and costly enough to write down a list of what is relevant to the assignment. • Interviewers need to know what skills and experience are relevant to the assignment. This simply comes down to what parts of the job d...

Before I retired, I had done consulting / contracting for a number of years, and I’ve worked with a few companies and managers. Here are some pointers on how to get the most of a **highly skilled** consultant / contractor like myself. 1. Clearly define the purpose of the assignment beforehand, and inform the consultant / contractor. Is it: • Staff supplementation: a consultant taking over a role in the organizational chart normally assigned to a permanent employee who may be going on leave or another long term project. • A specific short or long term development or infrastructure project. 2. Define whether this engagement is considered to be a contract to hire position. Again, inform the contractor as to whether this is your expectation. Some consultants do not want to leave consulting, and the consultant should know whether this is a ‘try-buy’ opportunity. 3. Define the reporting structure of the consulting position, and the expended duties, procedures and time and status reporting me...