Rethinking Productivity in Software Engineering

by Caitlin Sadowski

The social environment refers to the attitudes, routines, policies, and habits performed by workers in an organization. Productive social environments are those where knowledge workers are given freedom to choose their work methods, work times, and work locations; information flows freely among workers; meetings are efficient; clear technology usage and communication policies exist; goals are cohesive and clearly defined; work is assessed in terms of outcomes, not just in terms of activities; and experimentation with new work methods is encouraged. A social environment for software development that enhances productivity is one where, for example, developers are given freedom to try new tools and methodologies. The importance of the social environment is underscored by Google’s finding that psychological safety—that members of a team should be able to take risks without fear—is the most important predictor of effective teams.