Motivation of software professionals

[Stefan Kiryazov]

Hi all,

I am doing a research about motivation in software development, the
most efficient practices to motivate software engineers, their
popularity, etc.

As a part of the research, I am doing an online survey for software
engineers and managers in software development. It takes just several
minutes and filling it is a good opportunity to share your opinion
about the motivation practices being used in the software industry
today:
http://ask.wizefish.com/en/MotivationSurvey.aspx

Anyone who does the survey and leaves any contacts will be sent the
results.

Also, if someone is running a web site or blog dedicated to any aspect
of software development we can do some link exchange.

Regards,
Stefan Kiryazov

 

[Richard Cornford]

Hi all,

I am doing a research about motivation in software development,
the most efficient practices to motivate software engineers,
their popularity, etc.

Strange question; the most efficient motivator of professionals is
money, and money is very popular.

As a part of the research, I am doing an online survey for
software engineers and managers in software development.

<snip>

This would be more convincing as an academic exercise, as opposed to,
say, spam intended to encourage visitors to some web page with the
intention of gaining advertising revenue, if there were not so many
advertisements on the page.

In any event, your survey needs the addition of a large number of
"This question makes no sense" option checkboxes, as it is
unanswerable as it is.

Richard.

 

[Jeff Gaines]

I am doing a research about motivation in software development, the
most efficient practices to motivate software engineers, their
popularity, etc.

M O N E Y

 

[Erwin Moller]

Stefan Kiryazov schreef:

Hi all,

I am doing a research about motivation in software development, the
most efficient practices to motivate software engineers, their
popularity, etc.

As a part of the research, I am doing an online survey for software
engineers and managers in software development. It takes just several
minutes and filling it is a good opportunity to share your opinion
about the motivation practices being used in the software industry
today:
http://ask.wizefish.com/en/MotivationSurvey.aspx

Anyone who does the survey and leaves any contacts will be sent the
results.

Also, if someone is running a web site or blog dedicated to any aspect
of software development we can do some link exchange.

Regards,
Stefan Kiryazov

I am in this business so I can fill in online questionaires.

Erwin Moller


--
"There are two ways of constructing a software design: One way is to
make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the
other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious
deficiencies. The first method is far more difficult."
-- C.A.R. Hoare

 

[Mick]

Hi all,

I am doing a research about motivation in software development, the
most efficient practices to motivate software engineers, their
popularity, etc.

As a part of the research, I am doing an online survey for software
engineers and managers in software development. It takes just several
minutes and filling it is a good opportunity to share your opinion
about the motivation practices being used in the software industry
today:
http://ask.wizefish.com/en/MotivationSurvey.aspx

Anyone who does the survey and leaves any contacts will be sent the
results.

Also, if someone is running a web site or blog dedicated to any aspect
of software development we can do some link exchange.

Regards,
Stefan Kiryazov

Gotta pay the bills!

 

[Anthony Williams]

Strange question; the most efficient motivator of professionals is
money, and money is very popular.

Whilst people like money, it's not necessary the most efficient
motivator. Developers also like interesting, challenging, varied work,
work with new technologies, flexible hours, freedom to do what they feel
is technically best without being hampered by management dictat and many
other things.

Anthony

 

[Balog Pal]

Strange question; the most efficient motivator of professionals is
money, and money is very popular.

Lack of money is a massive demorivator, but meeting some basics it is hardly
an efficient motivator, let alon the most...

 

[JR]

Hi all,

I am doing a research about motivation in software development, the
most efficient practices to motivate software engineers, their
popularity, etc.

As a part of the research, I am doing an online survey for software
engineers and managers in software development. It takes just several
minutes and filling it is a good opportunity to share your opinion
about the motivation practices being used in the software industry
today:http://ask.wizefish.com/en/MotivationSurvey.aspx

Anyone who does the survey and leaves any contacts will be sent the
results.

Also, if someone is running a web site or blog dedicated to any aspect
of software development we can do some link exchange.

I suggest reading about the "Two Factor theory of emotion", also known
as "Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory". I studied this concept in
1984 for the first time, and I think it is still acceptable today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-factor_theory

Cheers,
JR

 

[John B. Matthews]

I am doing a research about motivation in software development, the
most efficient practices to motivate software engineers, their
popularity, etc.

[...]

This reminds me of "Drescher and the toaster":

A disciple of another sect once came to Drescher as he was
eating his morning meal.

“I would like to give you this personality testâ€, said the
outsider, “because I want you to be happy.â€

Drescher took the paper that was offered him and put it into
the toaster, saying: “I wish the toaster to be happy, too.â€

<http://catb.org/jargon/html/koans.html#id3141308>

 

[John Bode]

Whilst people like money, it's not necessary the most efficient
motivator. Developers also like interesting, challenging, varied work,
work with new technologies, flexible hours, freedom to do what they feel
is technically best without being hampered by management dictat and many
other things.

This is definitely true for me; I will trade some pay for more
interesting work or a better working environment, at least up to a
point.

 

[Wojtek]

Patricia Shanahan wrote :

...

I don't qualify as a software professional now, but I did work in the
computer industry for 32 years.

In my experience, software professionals are people, each with their own
motivations. Assuming everyone has the same motivations is a basic
leadership error.

That said, by definition professionals are, to some extent, in it for
the money. If they were not, they would be amateurs as I am now. How
that is balanced against interesting work, physical working conditions,
status, etc. varies.

Hmmm, I have seen "professionals" who should be escorted out by
security. And then people who do it for personal satisfaction who
produce excellent code.

The FOSS movement has a mix of these two groups.

Being a professional is a state of mind rather than renumeration.

But yes, I like to eat too....

 

[Walter Banks]

I am doing a research about motivation in software development, the
most efficient practices to motivate software engineers, their
popularity, etc.

Watching it all come together in a project after 40 years still
has the same excitement. I resigned from a good job 30 years
ago to program again as a career telling colleges at the time
that I may never work again but I am playing 50 or 60 hours
a week at something I love to do.

Regards,


w..

 

[BGB / cr88192]

Whilst people like money, it's not necessary the most efficient
motivator. Developers also like interesting, challenging, varied work,
work with new technologies, flexible hours, freedom to do what they feel
is technically best without being hampered by management dictat and many
other things.

OTOH, many programmers may also despise anything "new" or "different", or
anything which may effect "the way things usually are".

give them something new, and they will resist, like "this is not how I
usually do things", ...

it would be like, in a college, them adding soap dispensers all over the
walls in the hallways.
then, this is unsettling, since it is well known that soap dispensers are
properly placed in the bathrooms, and so what are they doing in the
hallways?...

likewise, many may like a well-defined heirarchy of authority,
strong-seeming authority figures, and the sense of "excitement" over the
volumes of work being produced (measurable via metrics like money, units
sold, kloc written, completing various items on various agendas, ...), ...


and, granted, other people may not like this...

they might dislike, for example, being expected to stand and greet the boss
whenever he enters the room, waiting for him either to say something
relevant or to tell them all to carry on, ...

other people may also not like attending meetings for the sake of debating
over agenda items, deciding on matters of policy, ...

so, it may all depend a lot on the person (and/or, the personality types of
the people involved...).

 

[MarkusSchaber]

Hi all,

I am doing a research about motivation in software development,
the most efficient practices to motivate software engineers,
their popularity, etc.

Strange question; the most efficient motivator of professionals is
money, [...]

This was proven wrong by Science. Read Bruce Eckels excellent blog
entries about this topic, he always references relliable sources on
this subject.

 

[Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn]

Strange question; the most efficient motivator of professionals is
money, and money is very popular.

That would mean that the more you are paid, the more motivated you are,
which is obviously wrong. Money is only part of the equation. Money is a
factor of motivation in capitalism only because of the things that money can
buy, and which it means to others. But those things can be gained without
money as well, so you would probably be equally motivated if someone
provides them for work you have done. See, e.g., Maslow's hierarchy of
needs.


F'up2 poster

PointedEars

 

[Tom Anderson]

Strange question; the most efficient motivator of professionals is
money, and money is very popular.

There's a robust body of work that suggests this is very much *not* the
case. Money motivates some people; technical people are more motivated by
interesting work and respect from their colleagues.

tom

 

[Stefan Ram]

http://ask.wizefish.com/en/MotivationSurvey.aspx

This survey has a strong selection bias:

Real professionals are motivated by the money.

But those motivated by money will not attend
the survey as they are not being paid for it.

 

[Branimir Maksimovic]

Hi all,

I am doing a research about motivation in software development, the
most efficient practices to motivate software engineers, their
popularity, etc.

News server Im using doesn;t allow cross post without follow up header,
and max crosspost is three newsgroups.

Greets

 

[Saga]

This survey has a strong selection bias:

Real professionals are motivated by the money.

But those motivated by money will not attend
the survey as they are not being paid for it.

And those not motivated by money will also not
attend the survey because they'll think it is
offensive, catagorizing them as "non professional"
simply because they are not motivated by money.
Saga

 

[Tom Anderson]

That said, by definition professionals are, to some extent, in it for
the money. If they were not, they would be amateurs as I am now.

Interesting. Do you think that all the non-financial rewards that are
available (if rarely!) in industry are available in academia or on
volunteer projects?

Something i find quite enjoyable, having moved from academia into
industry, is the sense that a project is actually doing something
valuable, something a business thinks is worth money. Work in academia and
the FOSS community can be very interesting, but a lot of it feels like
farting about.

tom