EDOS 2023 week 04
Strategic self-control; software engineers in flow; agile in small- and medium-sized businesses + continuous experimentation, wicked problems require data-sharing, leadership model overlap clarified
Strategic self control
WHAT? One of our very own, Torleif Halkjelsvik, has written about how we exercise self control
It’s INTERESTING that:
Three strategies to contain yourself: incentive-based, state-based and rule-based.
In practice this builds on internal processes in which values and rules interact with each other - we implement rules that promote our values, and following the rules also reinforce the values.
There are some pretty important nuances in the mechanisms that rewards or penalizes our behavior, which may help explain why people deceive themselves during transformation efforts.
AND SO?
This provides potential/imaginable frameworks useful for dropping bad habits
The next article under is about the state of flow, where maintaining productivity is (relatively) cost free.
Software engineering flow
WHAT? Finnish study on the state of “flow”, made famous by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, if software engineering activities.
It’s INTERESTING that:
The research showed three categories of internal barriers to flow: Undersøkelsen påviste tre kategorier interne barrierer til flyt: mental discomfort (lack of motivation, stress, worries, anxiety, procrastination, and self-doubt), cognitive effort (lack of concentration), health (sleep and rest, health, exercise, and nutrition)
There were two imbalances between challenges and capability: not challenging enough (too easy challenges, insufficient opportunities, lack of creativity), or too challenging (constant learning, too difficult challenges, knowledge holes, and lack of capabilities).
And then there were several external factors: problematic projects, interruptions, distractions, troubled projects, lack of technology, and other challenges.
AND SO?
The authors view flow as a driver of productivity in software engineering, but also associated with well-being and meaning
This illustrates also how concentration-intensive software engineering is, and how crucial it is to get peace and quiet.
Agile in small and medium-sized businesses
WHAT? Study of seven small and medium-sized Swiss IT companies to identify necessary HR support for their development work.
It’s INTERESTING that:
The study shows that companies fall into three different categories: some want to learn how to move from agile practie to pervasive agile mindsets; others are entrepreneurs who view as agility as a requirement for market success; or they are value-oriented, because these promote flexibility, inclusion, etc.
There are common challenges, in particularly in garnering commitment, ensure transparency and openness, make it a common causea, and to establish durable practices.
This requires a new approach to HR, including recruitment, role definitions, learning, development, career paths, etc.
Typical barriers include fear of losing control, overwhelmed employees, transition to focusing more on human factors.
AND SO?
Agile values are often reduced to practices, but fundamentally it is about making learning a core activity, particularly when informed by external orientation and continuously iterated. That market-driven organizations view agility as essential for succeeding under uncertainty.
HR’s strategic role involves being more proactive and consultative than traditional organizations. In small- and medium-sized businesses, HR groups are typically small and scrappy, but large and complex organizations have to deal with much greater complexity.
Bonus
Swedish study on good use of continuous experimentation
Excellent article on how “wicked problems” encourage and/or make data sharing necessary
Clarification of all these newfangled leadership models that turn out to have considerable overlap
Next week: Which is the best leadership model; digitalizing higher education; leadership and learning + teachers' critical thinking, group decision-making, Industry 4.0