A social contract is an agreement among individuals of a team that defines how they will interact and cooperate with one another. It establishes values, principles, and expectations to build trust and ensure respectful communication. Key aspects of social contracts include agreeing to constructive criticism, resolving conflicts, being on time and prepared for meetings, asking for help when needed, and respecting differences among team members. Social contracts aim to promote psychological safety, confidentiality, and accountability within a team.

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1Social Contracts
What is a Social Contract?
Definition and purpose of our team Social Contract
Just like a legal contract that defines the values and principals on how we interact with each other and how we interact
with people outside the team. This is collectively agreed by the team and committed to by the team. It really comes into
play when things go wrong…
History of the Social Contract
• Idea mooted by Jean-Jacque Rousseauin 18th Century
• More recently in the work of moral and political
philosopher John Rawls, and his Theory of Justice.
“The way in which the major social institutions
distribute fundamental rights and duties and
determine the division of advantages from social
cooperation”
• The philosopher and physician John Locke uses the
social contract to defend and protect particular
values, and to institute an accountable system of
authority
• The philosopher and physician John Locke uses the
social contract to defend and protect particular
values, and to institute an accountable system of
authority
What is in it for the team?
It will help greatly to build trust with your team mates. It will re-enforce the sense of psychological safety and the
confidentiality of the agile ceremony spaces

2. We never say anything bad about anyone within the team to anyone outside
We intervene if we overhear any water cooler criticism of the team
We always criticise people in the team constructively face-to-face, one to one
We always face up to breakdowns in communication with team members
If we have an breakdown, we resolve by sharing authentic assessments with another team member
We commit to not being late for any ceremonies and prepare for them, mobile phones on silent
If you don’t believe you can contribute to a meeting/ceremony, let the organiser know and don’t attend
Raise a problem as soon as you see it, even this means fessing up to a personal error you have made
Face-to-face conversations over email, anytime
Respect each other and understand differences in knowledge and experience
All team documents are to be shared
There are no silly questions, if you don’t understand, ask
We don’t interrupt and cut another person off while they are talking. And we listen to them respectfully
We have zero tolerance for bullying
We communicate in this order: Face to face, phone call, Instant Message then email
We are share our contact details and our calendars
If you are solely responsible for delivering a piece of work, make a commitment to deliver it
We are never afraid to ask for help and always available to provide help
We avoid inviting external parties to key ceremonies and never without the agreement of the team
Candidates for Social Contract…