What is the first thing we do when a major issue occurs in a live system? Sort it out of course. Then we start the hunt for the person to blame so that they can suffer the appropriate punishment. What do we do if a person is being awkward in the team and won’t agree to our ways of doing things? Ostracise them of course, and see how long it is until they hand in their notice – problem solved. This highly interactive talk delves into why humans have this tendency to blame and punish. It looks at real examples of punishment within the software world and the results which were achieved. These stories not only cover managers punishing team members but also punishment within teams and self-punishment. We are all guilty of some of the behaviours discussed. This is aimed at everyone involved in software development. After the talk attendees will understand: • Why we tend to blame and punish others. • The impact of self-blame. • The unintended (but predictable) results from punishment. • The alternatives to punishment, which get real results.

1. Punishment
Driven
Development
#pdd
Louise Elliott

2. Given that a team isn’t delivering fast
enough
When you have told them the delivery
date over and over again
Then punish them with no bonus and bad
performance reviews

3. Who’s to blame?

4. A Challenge…

5. An Experiment…

6. An Experiment…
Low High

7. Scenario 1
John is at a football game when
he sees another fan, called Steve,
wearing a scarf supporting the
opposing team. John tells Steve to
take the scarf off. Steve refuses
and John hits him in the face.

8. Blameworthiness
Punishment

9. Bonus

10. Bonus

11. Bonus

12. Bonus

13. Bonus

14. Bonus

15. Why do we punish people?

16. Why do we punish people?
- To put other people off doing the same thing
- So that the individual won’t do it again
- For retribution
- To compensate the victim

17. Odd man out

18. Scenario 2
John and Steve are hunting in the
woods. Despite the fact that John
has followed all safety rules his
shotgun misfires, accidentally
hitting Steve in the side. Steve
dies before John can fetch help.

19. Blameworthiness
Punishment

20. Self-punishment

21. Narcissism of Small
Differences
(Freud, 1930)

22. Blame the BA

23. Scenario 3
John drives a security van
containing money. One day Steve
kidnaps John’s daughter and
threatens to kill her if John doesn’t
give Steve the money. John gives
Steve the money from his van and
his daughter is returned safely.

24. Blameworthiness
Punishment

25. Yes but…

26. Hansei

27. Scenario 4
John planned to kill his mother for
the inheritance. He dragged her to
bed and lit her oxygen mask with
his cigarette, hoping to make it
look like an accident. His mother’s
clothes caught fire and she burnt
to death.

28. Blameworthiness
Punishment

29. Angry man

30. Personal Kaizen

31. Scenario 5
John and Steve are friends who
share a competitive streak. They
frequently play tennis together.
One day when they are playing
Steve easily defeats John 2 games
in a row. In frustration, John
returns the ball particularly hard
and it hits Steve in the eye.

32. Blameworthiness
Punishment

33. (Buckholts et al, 2015)

34. (Buckholts et al, 2015)
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex

36. Punishment Driven Development Manifesto
Finding out who is to blame over working collaboratively
Retribution over encouraging innovation
Punishing mistakes over avoiding future mistakes
Venting emotions over achieving goals

37. Punishment Driven Development Manifesto
Respecting people over controlling people
Celebrating mistakes over punishing mistakes
Putting yourself in their place over putting others in their place
Changing your behaviour over changing their behaviour
People

38. People Driven
Development
#pdd

39. linkedin.com/in/louiseelliott
@IvanaTerrorBull
Louise Elliott