Summary: Motivation of Open Source Software Developers

Y. Ye, K. Kishida, “Toward an Understanding of the Motivation of Open Source Software Developers”, In Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on Software Engineering, pp 419-429, 2003.

Summary

This paper examines a number of Open Source Software (OSS) communities, especially the Gnu Image Manipulation Program (GIMP), in order to determine the key motivators for member participation. It found that the key factors are 1) opportunities to learn and 2) social recognition. The motivations to learn were different for initiators, the founders of the OSS project, than those that later entered the community.

Summary: Motivation in Software Engineering

S. Beecham, N. Baddoo, et al., “Motivation in Software Engineering: A systematic literature review”, Information and Software Technology, 50 (9-10), pp 860-878, 2008.

Summary

This paper presents a review of literature on motivation in software engineering. 76% of the papers found that software engineers form a distinct group, usually described as high achievers. This suggests that a unique set of techniques may be required to achieve proper motivation. The paper gives insight on the following questions:

Summary: Job Characteristics Theory

J. Hackman, G. Oldham, “Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory”, Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16, pp 250-279, 1976.

Summary

This model suggests that there are three psychological states (meaningfulness of work, autonomy, feedback) that most affect work outcomes (motivation, performance, turnover, etc). The meaningfulness of the work can also be derived from the following characteristics of the job: skill variety, task identity, and task significance.

What to Reward?

One-Time vs Long-Time

Rewards should be used to recognize exceptional work. Usually, this work is in the form of a one-time action, but can also be represented by consistent long-term performance. Having an employee that you can always count on is a valuable asset, even if he or she does not take individual actions that are exceptionally noteworthy. Recognize their long-term effort and recommend ways for them to expand their role.

Fire Fighting vs Fire Prevention

Fires happen: a key client leaves, hardware fails, last minute problems come up in a release. In most cases, there is an individual that goes above and beyond their normal responsibilities to fix the problem. These actions should be rewarded, but make sure they are not the only actions you reward. While there is something to being calm, collected, and dedicated in a crisis, I have found that almost anyone can fight a fire. They are also extremely visible moments; individuals know that (in-)actions taken during this time are assured to get noticed.

Rewards (part 2)

There are monetary constraints in every organization. Here are some articles I found that discuss additional ways to reward employees while on a budget:

25 Ways to Reward Employees (Without Spending a Dime)

How to Reward Employees on a Budget

Five Tips for Effective Employee Recognition

10 Ways to Reward Your Employees, Without Giving a Raise

Rewards

Rewarding your employees for their work can greatly increase their performance, retention, and commitment to the team. As a manager, you should be aware of all of the options available to you. Below, I have tried to list as many as possible.

To get the most value out of your rewards, try to use a variety of them. For example, the value of repeated short-term rewards will decrease if not eventually followed by medium-term and long-term rewards.

Modeling

Modeling is an invaluable tool for a manager. Models help make decisions, predict future results, and better understand the underlying relationships between variables in your business. I tend to use the term “modeling” loosely. I believe that any thought process that simplifies a more complex system can be viewed as a model. While a linear regression on the efficiency of your team can be valuable, so can a prioritized list of the issues your team will face in the next year. Remember: Any model is better than no model! The key is knowing what information you will want to obtain, how accurate the results need to be, and how much time you are willing to spend to get them.

Why Have Managers? (part 2)

Previously we looked at ways in which managers can add value to an organization. Here are some notable omissions:

1. Day-to-day work of the team. Managers should be focused on leveraging the output of his team, not on doing the work themselves. Another good quote from High Output Management: “While the manager’s own work is clearly very important, that in itself does not create output. His organization does.” (p41) Some hybrid managers/contributors may have some day-to-day responsibilities, but even in those cases it should not be considered part of their managerial role.
2. Meetings. Meetings on their own do not add value. They should be focused on increasing leverage in one or more of the areas previously discussed, e.g. removing roadblocks, reducing risk, increasing communication.
3. Hiring / Firing. Staffing changes also on their own do not add value. They need to be viewed in the context of improving the capabilities and/or motivation of the team.