Timeline for Inspiring a co-worker to adopt better coding practices?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
9 events
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| Aug 19, 2014 at 0:21 | history | edited | Jim G. | CC BY-SA 3.0 | added 1 character in body |
| Jul 1, 2011 at 18:58 | comment | added | Falcon | The point is, you can do that and people will follow you, but you'll need to rank higher in the hierarchy. You can't do it as a simple developer in most teams. Many colleagues can only take unasked advice from someone higher in the hierarchy. If you are on the same level, they'll feel hurt and attacked. Remember that respect is earned. If you treat them well and communicate it nice and pleasantly, it can work, if you're on the same level, too. | |
| Jul 1, 2011 at 18:41 | comment | added | IAbstract | This is true sometimes, e.g. "old dog, new tricks" - try explaining to someone how techniques have increased data retrieval efficiency by 800% and the co-worker just shrugs their shoulders. | |
| Jul 1, 2011 at 18:28 | comment | added | Wayne Molina | If I had substantial evidence beyond the norm, I'd be willing to post it. Most of the time it's been a situation like yours and I would bring up better coding practices and either get a "What's that?" look, or a dismissive "We don't do things like that here" and that was the end of the conversation; although it probably hasn't helped that in all of these cases I was the "new guy" on the team. | |
| Jul 1, 2011 at 18:17 | comment | added | Aaronaught | I think those are the kind of statements that need to be substantiated. I'd certainly be interested in hearing (and more willing to upvote) some real-world experiences, with respect to what you tried unsuccessfully (and why it was unsuccessful). | |
| Jul 1, 2011 at 18:11 | comment | added | Wayne Molina | That's true, but in my experience if people care about improving, they need little motivation to be inspired because the desire is already there - they might need a nudge or advice, but they understand and want to improve, just need guidance. I was the same way; I learned bad ways of doing things and thought "There has to be a better way" and started research. What I've seen though is the people who don't improve or show a desire to improve are lost causes because they don't want to improve. That said, best of luck in proving me wrong :) | |
| Jul 1, 2011 at 17:51 | comment | added | Aaronaught | I appreciate the response, however, I find this hard to believe mainly because I was exactly this type of "just get it done" programmer several years ago. Nobody showed me - I had to discover it all myself - but I'm sure that a sufficiently persuasive leader (if one had existed) would have been able to effect the same change. Just because some people learn all of this independently doesn't necessarily mean that everybody else is a lost cause. | |
| Jul 1, 2011 at 17:48 | history | edited | Wayne Molina | CC BY-SA 3.0 | added 84 characters in body |
| Jul 1, 2011 at 17:43 | history | answered | Wayne Molina | CC BY-SA 3.0 |