Assholes
are
killing
your
project
Why do I think you came to this talk?
Why am I giving it?
Reputation
Results
Contributors
TheCommunity Circle
Community is critical
Best predictor of long-term viability
How do you attract new contributors and users? Your brand.
Function of your ability to create results.
Key point: Ability to accomplish your mission
Your ability to get results
depends on your community.
What makes a great community?
The best
Assholes
Most of us
Good to Great
Continual improvement greatness is a process
Metrics
Are a few assholes balanced by a few amazing people? come back
to this later
What isn't an asshole?
Conflict is good
You need to differentiate between personal attacks and
technical criticisms.
What is an asshole? Two tests
After talking to the asshole, does the target feel oppressed,
humiliated, de-energized, or belittled?
Does the asshole target those less powerful?
Intent to harm not required
Difference between how a person treats the powerless and the
powerful is a great judge of character
What is an asshole?
Look for patterns
Everyone has a bad day sometimes.
For assholes, every day is a bad day.
Pattern! States vs traits. Consistency across places and
times
Tolerance builds up over time. You don't realize who's an
asshole.
How many good interactions does it take to cancel out one bad
one?
Are a few assholes balanced by a few amazing people?
Negative interactions 5x worse than positive
Are a few assholes balanced by a few amazing people?
Negative interactions 5x worse than positive
Are a few assholes balanced by a few amazing people?
Negative interactions 5x worse than positive
Are a few assholes balanced by a few amazing people?
Negative interactions 5x worse than positive
5 good for 1 bad.
Your team needs 5/6 positive people just to break even!
Are a few assholes balanced by a few amazing people?
Negative interactions 5x worse than positive
Fight
Flickr: undergroundbastard
Men tend to
Male targets: reciprocityFemale targets: avoidance(Pearson &
Porath) pic: fight vs flight
Targets hold leaders at faultRole models
Flight
Flickr: noeluap
Women tend toward
By tolerating assholes,
you alienate women
Male targets: reciprocityFemale targets: avoidance(Pearson &
Porath) pic: fight vs flight
Targets hold leaders at faultRole models
Problems assholes cause to targets
48% decreased their effort
47% worked less time
38% dropped their quality
66% declined in performance
80% lost time worrying
63% lost time avoiding
78% became less committed
25% quit; 20% of witnesses quit!
Cascading
effects
amplify
the problem
Flickr: wsdot
Cascading
effects
amplify
the problem
Flickr: wsdot
Word of mouth transforms
one asshole into an avalanche
Problems assholes cause to projects
Reduced innovation & creativity
Reduced cooperation & cohesion
Cost of targets' retribution toward project
Impaired cooperation from external projects & people
Impaired ability to attract
the best & brightest
Recruiting more assholes
External cooperation & recruitment: based on reputation,
caused by word of mouth
Recruitment is different in FLOSS from biz; everyone has the
power
TCA: Total Cost of Asshole
Team leadDeveloper relations teamProject leadershipRecruiting
& training new developersTargets &
witnesses__________________Total Cost of Asshole
++++
Refusal to confront reality
Dreadful stats- 50% of targets considered quitting, 12% of
targets quit. One asshole, multiple targets.
Reputation: word of mouth. Cascade
An asshole is incompetent
Flickr: escapo
Social and technical ability are orthogonal. One never balances
out the other.
Technical and social ability are orthogonal.
A good coder has one; a good developer has both.
How do you fix it?
Flickr: trp0
Personal interactions
Modeling
Reporting: encourage; have a place; respond; rapid feedback
Is it your job to change them?
Flickr: kalandrakas
Personal interactions
Have a conference
Personal interactions
Modeling
Flickr: hashir
People need somewhere
to complain
and a sense
that action
will happen
rapid feedback
Reporting: encourage; have a place; respond; rapid feedback
Flickr: shannonmary
Are you here
to fix people
or accomplish
your goals?
At some point, it's time to cut off the detour.
Is it your job to change them?
How do you prevent it?
Flickr: redefyne
Culture is like molasses, not like code.
Problem of change in diffuse organizations: persuasion, shared
interests, reputation
Flickr: koenvereeken
Be quantitative
Show that social aspects have metrics, too. Developers believe
numbers.
Be quantitative
Flickr: soldiersmediacenter
What are your standards?
Is good really good enough? You are a SWAT team, you need
great!
Recruitment standards is good good enough?
Flickr: mount_otz
Provide expectations
Nobody knows your culture when they start.
Do you want them to learn it from an asshole? Provide a code of
conduct.
Clear expectations set a baseline: code of conduct
Want to learn more?
Read these
In the long run,
dealing with assholes is never worth it.
Donnie BerkholzGentoo [email protected]
