Live data from Hacker News

The Psychology of Software Teams

routledge.com

51–60 of 63 posts

Re: The Psychology of Software Teams

#51

This book looks super interesting. I wish I was on a software team so I could justify buying it. But but my $DAY_JOB is answering phones and fixing printer-jams in a medical practice, so not a lot of application there.

I hereby give you permission to buy the book and read it for funsies.

Re: The Psychology of Software Teams

#52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is when someone writes one viral blog post, then decides to pad it out and sell it as a book. If you can find the original post, you get the entire substance for free in ten minutes.

It's funny when popular blog writers get criticised for turning blog posts into books (usually while leaving the original posts accessible) when I feel this is way more honest than doing exactly what you say. Resilient Management by Lara Hogan and An Elegant Puzzle by Will Larson do the former and are two of the most useful SW Management books I've ever read.

If there is enough content to fill a book, then it's fine. The issue is that usually, there's enough for about two chapters, and then it's just padding.

Re: The Psychology of Software Teams

#53

yikes. this is very out of touch with current trends. i respect writing a book - ive written three, but if there’s a time when most tech leadership cared LESS about understanding software team psychology, i havent seen it. truly a sad state of things. i love this topic and plan to read the book but i dont expect most people to care - the only mantra in software rn is to go as fast as possible on shitty features and b…

Why is that a "yikes"? You don't always have to be "trendy".

Psychology of AI Software Teams

taking preorders now

Re: The Psychology of Software Teams

#54
post #24
post #8

I feel like there could be a lot of value in understanding the psychology of teams and using it to build an environment where they can thrive. However, every person I've worked with who was into these workplace-psychology books started thinking of themselves as expert diagnosticians of other people's psychology. Every personality or problem got mapped back to a scenario from a book they read, even when it wasn't a go…

I'd say it's a reflection of an earlier stage of interpersonal maturity to try and put people into categories. More socially attuned people realize the complexity of other people and situations and synthesize all the available information to make a decision that is truly reflective of reality.

> I'd say it's a reflection of an earlier stage of interpersonal maturity to try and put people into categories. More socially attuned people realize the complexity of other people and situations and synthesize all the available information to make a decision that is truly reflective of reality.

It's interesting to think how this affects self-perception. Basically this applies to how one views and treats themselves. One approach is to read book, take a test and put yourself in a bin: "well, I'll never be able to do xyz, the book said I am an abc". There is a danger there self-limiting and making the same mistake putting others in bins.

Re: The Psychology of Software Teams

#55
A lot of smaller organizations really struggle to collaborate with their software teams. Collaboration is hard, in general, but especially so if the organization isn't fluent and competent in software product development. Before you go diving into the psychology of your sad and despondent software team, look around them. Are the people working with them capable of supporting and engaging with these engineers?

Re: The Psychology of Software Teams

#56
post #15
post #8

I feel like there could be a lot of value in understanding the psychology of teams and using it to build an environment where they can thrive. However, every person I've worked with who was into these workplace-psychology books started thinking of themselves as expert diagnosticians of other people's psychology. Every personality or problem got mapped back to a scenario from a book they read, even when it wasn't a go…

Working with someone who thinks Team Topologies is an instruction manual is not fun .

Working with anyone who reads a book and treats it as an instruction is not fun.

Just like working with fresh college grads who are ambitious and think college knowledge is an instruction.

Re: The Psychology of Software Teams

#57
post #8

I feel like there could be a lot of value in understanding the psychology of teams and using it to build an environment where they can thrive. However, every person I've worked with who was into these workplace-psychology books started thinking of themselves as expert diagnosticians of other people's psychology. Every personality or problem got mapped back to a scenario from a book they read, even when it wasn't a go…

[deleted]

Re: The Psychology of Software Teams

#58
post #8

I feel like there could be a lot of value in understanding the psychology of teams and using it to build an environment where they can thrive. However, every person I've worked with who was into these workplace-psychology books started thinking of themselves as expert diagnosticians of other people's psychology. Every personality or problem got mapped back to a scenario from a book they read, even when it wasn't a go…

[deleted]

Re: The Psychology of Software Teams

#59
post #8

I feel like there could be a lot of value in understanding the psychology of teams and using it to build an environment where they can thrive. However, every person I've worked with who was into these workplace-psychology books started thinking of themselves as expert diagnosticians of other people's psychology. Every personality or problem got mapped back to a scenario from a book they read, even when it wasn't a go…

co-worker started reading "Extreme Ownership" and it improved his mindset and approach to problems. at the same time became extremely unbearable towards own team. if someone was complaining it was hard to get follow-up on a task from someone external he'd jump in and say "you're not owning it". the tipping point for me was when he started preaching "Never Split the Difference". he'd gotten so cocky to the point he'd…

> the main crowd are wannabe master manipulators. also, they can often be distilled to a couple chapters, not sure why they're so long.

Yes! Very similar to my own criticisms. It's thinly veiled authoritarianism. Nobody handing you one of these books is ever doing it for your benefit despite framing it that way. The message always is, "this is the behavior I expect out of you".

As to the content density, they all tend to ape Dale Carnegie's work. Carnegie himself borrowing heavily from Ben Franklin, who actually had a lifetime of interesting anecdotes. If you don't have that, you spin out 80 pages worth of filler.

Re: The Psychology of Software Teams

#60
software teams treat trust and conflict as soft concerns, then seem surprised when delivery slows and people leave. the subject is real, but the value depends on whether the book stays empircal instead of becoming another set of management scripts. useful frameworks help you notice failure modes, not give you new vocabulary to impose on poeple.
Post reply on HN