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Great post George,
> Yes, my favorite such term is "resources" used to mean
> "developers." I have no problems when it's used at a high level
> such as "we don't have the resources to take on a new project
> without dropping something else." Too often, however, I see it
> used in a much more personal and dehumanizing fashion such as "we
> need to allocate specific resources to specific tasks," or "I'm
> going to have a meeting with my resources."
This term is used by several managers in our company and it drives me
nuts. Its dehumanizing effects silently demoralize developers each
time the term is used.
> Steve Ropa may have been very lucky to "not know a single manager
> who doesn't have a ton of respect for engineers and what they do."
> Then, again, perhaps some of the managers I've known had such
> respect, but didn't communicate it. Instead, they communicated
> entirely different things. I would rather a manager treat me with
> respect. Share their vision. Listen to my concerns. Engage in
> dialog. I've seen far too many who treat developers as machines
> (and rather imperfect ones) that produce what they demand.
Some of the managers I know that use the term "resources" when
referring to humans try to maintain an image of trust and respect
between themselves and the developers. By using this term I believe
they expose their underlying view of developers as simply "deliverers
of value."
> Perhaps much of encouraging XP adoption, in many situations, comes
> down to teaching mid and low level managers how to manage with such
> respect, how to lead rather than command.
Such an incredibly important distinction.
--Dave
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