Re: Re: Practice: Pair Programming

Tim King wrote:

> William Pietri <william-JnOFOPmZhjNBDgjK7y7TUQ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > On Wed, 2004-11-10 at 08:17, Tim King wrote:
> >> Improv only works in a collaborative relationship, not a
> >> competitive one.
> >
> > Having done some improvisational theater, I think that's not quite
> > right. Although the collaboration is primary, there's often a lot of
> > good-natured competition. It's similar to people telling stories in a
> > group: everybody wants to be the one telling the best story, but the
> > overriding goal is that everybody have a good time.
>
> That's a good point. I know sometimes if there's a problem that no one
> wants to tackle, or even moreso, that my colleagues say can't be solved,
> but I see a way to solve it-- Sometimes I feel compelled to outdo my
> coworkers. I just want to get down and show them it _can_ be done, and
> here's how. This of course usually happens in areas in which I have
> strengths, whereas others have other strengths. In any case, this kind
> of competitive impulse can't be all bad.


Yes.  When we compete we get a chance to admire the best in us, 
regardless of whether it is ourselves or someone else. 

>
> Of course, when we contrast competition and collaboration, we're
> referring to the competitive forces described in Peopleware. Maybe we
> need to distinguish also two different kinds of compatition: destructive
> competition (which impels us to mitigate the other guy's strengths, to
> cut each other down) and constructive competition (which impels us to
> maximize our own strengths, to build each other up).


Yes, I like that distinction.  Seems also that competitiveness really 
becomes destructive when it springs from low self-esteem and when what 
it means to "win" isn't very clear.  It seems that sports teams often do 
a good job of managing cooperation and competition internally.

>
> Maybe competition gets a bad rap for the same reason criticism gets a
> bad rap. There are two kinds of criticism: that which hurts and that
> which helps. And in order to be in a team, you have to learn to use the
> latter while shunning the former.


Yes, I roll my eyes whenever I see movements to shield kids leagues from 
competition by  not keeping track of score, for instance.  I think that 
is an overreaction it does a real disservice by conflating healthy and 
unhealthy competition.  Making competition taboo seems really dangerous 
to me.  I feel that competition is an innate component of human nature 
and if there are ways of working with it rather than pretending it 
doesn't exist, then we are all probably better for it.

Michael




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