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posted by martyb on Sunday September 24 2017, @03:45PM   Printer-friendly
from the just-need-a-thousand-monkeys dept.

[The] main problem here is that software development is not an individual sport. Assessing technical traits means that we are looking at candidates as individuals. At the same time, we will put them in a team context and the project's success will depend on their teamwork. A person's resume or LinkedIn profile says close to nothing about their team skills.

What's more, we know quite a lot about what makes teams effective. Anita Woolley's research on collective intelligence [DOI: 10.1126/science.1193147] [DX] provides extremely valuable insight on the topic. First of all, how do we define collective intelligence? It's basically the skill of a group to solve complex problems. Well, it sounds like the definition of everyday work for software development teams if you ask me.

Why is collective intelligence so important? Exploiting collective intelligence, as opposed to going with the opinion of the smartest person in a room, is a winning strategy. To put in Anita Woolley's words: "Collective intelligence was much more predictive in terms of succeeding in complex tasks than average individual intelligence or maximal individual intelligence."

The power is in the team.


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  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Monday September 25 2017, @12:57PM (2 children)

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Monday September 25 2017, @12:57PM (#572639) Journal

    Now, the women seem by and large to think things out a bit more. Men seem way too gullible to be manipulated. Especially by women. It seems its in our nature to have to compete with each other to be accepted by a woman. We will often go into dire financial disarray just to present a transient illusion of our ability to provide to a woman. I do not know why we do it, but most of us do.

    Admittedly, I am still single, as I did not play this game. I have had women play me before, and get me into fights, and bad financial moves to "prove" my love. Well, she was of the belief that I was supposed to buy her trinkets and fun times. I was of the belief that I needed to go through life with a help-mate, not a parasite. We did not see eye to eye, so I just left it at that.

    You're looking in the wrong places, at the wrong women. If you desire cheerleaders, you're gonna find they have cheerleader expectations. You're generally not going to find a cheerleader who, unexpectedly, loves abstract art.

    First, figure out who you are and what values are important to you. Then, go to places where those things are practiced and celebrated. For example, if you're a Christian and that's important to you, then you should be looking for dates through church. If you love nature and outdoors activities, look for dates on Sierra Club hikes or trail runner clubs and the like. If you like art, take a sculpture/painting/whatever class. Women who share your specific interests are apt to share other interests with you, and having that in common is a natural ice-breaker.

    But you gotta go looking. The perfect mate for you is not going to wander into your living room while you're playing Halo and demand you sweep her off her feet.

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.
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  • (Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Monday September 25 2017, @09:53PM (1 child)

    by Grishnakh (2831) on Monday September 25 2017, @09:53PM (#572811)

    For example, if you're a Christian and that's important to you, then you should be looking for dates through church.

    I'm not religious, but to add to this, what I've heard from several Christians is that the single female to single male ratio in Christian churches is absurdly high. So if you're a conservative Christian, you really should be having an easy time finding dates at church; if you've exhausted your options at your current church, try a different one. Conversely, though, life is pretty hard for single Christian females, or so I'm told, and also it's a disadvantage for non-religious men because women are, on average, much more religious than men, so if you want to date, you either have to give in and date a religious woman (who'll likely be much more conservative than you, which means your sex life will probably suck), or hold out for one of the non-religious women which are in short supply, then try to weed out the overly materialistic ("high maintenance") ones that are very common, or others who have various unstated expectations about your role as man in the relationship.

    Honestly, I can see why more and more people are simply opting out of marriage and long-term cohabiting relationships. It's hard to find someone really compatible, and they don't really live up to their promises. Some minority of people get really lucky and find someone that really works as a partner to them, but they're the lucky few.

    • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday September 26 2017, @10:12AM

      by Phoenix666 (552) on Tuesday September 26 2017, @10:12AM (#573015) Journal

      so if you want to date, you either have to give in and date a religious woman (who'll likely be much more conservative than you, which means your sex life will probably suck)

      Again, the hunting grounds you choose matter. If you're in the South, what you're saying holds absolutely true. The Midwest a little less so. In the West and Northeast, you'll do fine. As a bonus, in the West and Northeast there are far more hippie/granola girls who are quite keen on sex.

      Honestly, I can see why more and more people are simply opting out of marriage and long-term cohabiting relationships. It's hard to find someone really compatible, and they don't really live up to their promises. Some minority of people get really lucky and find someone that really works as a partner to them, but they're the lucky few.

      If that's true, it's sad. Having someone to share your life with is a blessing. Having someone to have a family with adds a whole other dimension of joy and meaning. Also, and most people don't talk about this, the sex is much better because of the unparalleled level of intimacy, emotional connection, and trust.

      Nothing magically happens, though. You have to seek that kind of relationship. If you find a person, you then have to work at it because everyone has their foibles, including you. It takes time (and yes, sometimes fights) to reach detente. It's worth the effort, though. Dying alone sucks.

      --
      Washington DC delenda est.