it costs in trust deterioration.
The workshop was full of such "simple revelations" that offer "obvious" but often underutilized bits of wisdom. For example, one participant asked, "How do you make team members trust each other?" Rothman immediately replied, "You trust them first!" Perhaps the answer seems obvious, but do we always "walk the talk"?
Not every bit of advice is as easy to adopt. One presenter said, "Never rescue your team." Teach as little as possible, she said; instead, create as many options as you can. The team should feel the same pressure its manager feels. It's the only way to force your team to think and to offer solutions; and, she said, it's the only way to create a self-organized team. The manager's duty is to discuss with the team the risks associated with each solution. But when a team member comes to you for a solution, said the presenters, return the baton to him by first asking, "How would you do it?"
For example, one presenter said to a subordinate, "I have to apologize that I had to step in and do it for you. You probably think now that I do not trust you anymore. I apologize; this will not happen again." That's a tough lesson for a conventional manager!
4. Motivate, Don't De-Motivate: Appraisals, Bonuses and Compensation
Managing IT teams includes human resources (HR) tasks. According to Mary Poppendieck, one of the icons of the Agile movement, everything you are doing in your HR functions is wrong, because it is supported only by our illusions, not by facts.
In her presentation, "Appraisals and Compensation: The Elephant in the Room," Poppendieck offered her view on appraisals, bonuses and compensation, and on their dramatic negative impact on performance. She discussed the history and literature of reward systems in application to environments that require collaboration-a topic often avoided, as it causes conflict between rewards and teamwork.
Everyone hates annual appraisals. A significant amount of managerial time and energy is wasted on this process, bringing very little value. (The first known piece of literature about the negative influence of the appraisal system comes from sixth-century China, Poppendieck said.) Few people consider appraisal and reward systems fair, particularly in the eyes of the receiver. Our appraisal practices are based on assumptions that are seldom specified or confronted, such as the motivation to improve performance, career and development guidance, a paper trail for corrective action, and a basis for pay and promotion.
Step by step, Poppendieck demonstrated that these goals are rarely (if ever) achieved, but the harm they bring is almost certain. The only way to change behavior is to change the consequence, not the antecedent, she said. People invest their souls into their job only with positive reinforcement. When faced with negative reinforcement, people do just enough to avoid the threat.
Conventional appraisal and reward systems often create competition within the team. The consequences are obvious: If managerial efforts to create a collaborative environment contradict the company's appraisal system, team members will always believe what the appraisal system suggests. Should we be surprised when our incentive systems extinguish collaboration if individuals compete for rewards?
Incentives cannot solve a systemic problem. Nor can incentives increase training or skill. In software development, Poppendieck said, most people think others are motivated by money, but claim they personally are motivated by other factors.
Another assumption built into typical appraisal and reward systems is that an individual's performance can be reliably and unambiguously assessed. However, this is true only when performance can be objectively measured and attributed to individuals and when individual jobs have almost no interdependence. These conditions do not apply to software development.
But then what do we measure, and on what should we base our appraisal systems?
According to Poppendieck, it is difficult to come up with a good and sustainable system in the software development domain. Since most systems tend to demotivate people and teams, it is
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