Re: [extremeprogramming] Pairing styles

J. B. Rainsberger wrote on 10/29/19 8:25 AM:
> I would never have guessed 20 years ago that mobbing would be easier 
> to accept than pairing, given the common objections at the time. We 
> talked about it at the XP Toronto user group and mostly dismissed it 
> as a pipe dream. "If 2 is good, then surely 3 would be better...."
>
>     What's also interesting: Mobbing seems to foster a lot less active
>     resistance from both devs and managers.
>
>
> Any insights there?
> -- 
>  J. B. (Joe) Rainsberger :: https://tdd.training :: 
> http://www.jbrains.ca :: http://www.thecodewhisperer.com
>
General objections to pairing have their roots all over the place: some 
unfortunate history of software development culture as a lone-wolf 
effort; that many of us are more introverted than extroverted; that many 
devs are probably a little smarter than the average bear, thinking they 
are just fine solving and crafting on their own; that most were reared 
in a sole-office or cubicle environment; that some of us who are 
perceived as knowing a lot have the fear of others finding out we don't; 
and probably a number more.

Take all that and add to it a few bad experiences (or tales from others 
about such), and you have something that is anathema to the typical dev. 
And everyone has bad experiences--the number of pairs in team of 5, for 
example, is already up to 10; one of those pairings is likely to create 
a lot of stress. The overhead of pairing that I mentioned earlier just 
adds to the negatives.

The notion of sitting next to an individual all day is probably a bit 
too much for the average introvert. It's also a lot more intimate--you 
have to really commit to and ferret out the sensibilities of another 
individual. That's hard and a little intimidating.

Mobbing gives us the comfort of a small group--you're not on point all 
day long, for one; you're not intimate with any other individual, and so 
on. With strong style pairing brought into the mix, the intimation/fear 
factor comes down. It is also a lot more fun, as small groups typically 
are in contrast to a pair.

As far as manager resistance, I'm not sure. I do tell them what I've 
heard from most mobs, which is "we go faster;" and then I explain all of 
the elements that are simplified as a result of mobbing. I'll try to 
explore this with managers more going forward to see what they have to say.

Jeff


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