Presentation: TweetKEYNOTE: Incentives: why or why not?

It's surprising how little of the research around incentives has made it into practice. There's widespread belief that the debate is around carrots vs. sticks or if it's carrots or sticks, what kind of carrots or sticks. It's also surprising how the understanding of this fundamental topic eludes many well-respected, experienced practitioners and coaches. Many managers (and parents) have NOT read Alfie Kohn's book, Punished by Rewards, even though it was published in 1993. It's now 2013 and there's even more research to show what incentives work (and don't work) for individuals and teams. This presentation will attempt to bring in the latest and help those of us who care about development teams to learn what works best.

Presentation: TweetThe Power of an Agile Mindset

I've wondered for some time whether much of Agile's success was the result of the placebo effect, that is, good things happened because we believed they would. The placebo effect is a startling reminder of the power our minds have over our perceived reality. Now cognitive scientists tell us that this is only a small part of what our minds can do. Research has identified what I like to call "an agile mindset," an attitude that equates failure and problems with opportunities for learning, a belief that we can all improve over time, that our abilities are not fixed but evolve with effort. What's surprising about this research is the impact of an agile mindset on creativity and innovation, estimation, and collaboration in and out of the workplace. I'll relate what's known about this mindset and share some practical suggestions that can help all of us become even more agile.

Workshop: Influence Strategies for Practitioners Tweet

You've tried and tried to convince people of your position. You've laid out your logical arguments on impressive PowerPoint slides—but you are still not able to sway them. Cognitive scientists understand that the approach you are taking is rarely successful. Often you must speak to others' subconscious motivators rather than their rational, analytic side. Linda Rising shares influence strategies that you can use to more effectively convince others to see things your way. These strategies take advantage of a number of hardwired traits:

• "liking" - we like people who are like us
• "reciprocity" - we repay in kind
• "social proof" - we follow the lead of others similar to us
• "consistency" - we align ourselves with our previous commitments
• "authority" - we defer to authority figures
• "scarcity" - we want more of something when there is less to be had

Learn how to build on these traits as a way of bringing others to your side. Use this valuable toolkit in addition to the logical left-brain techniques on which we depend.

Workshop: Problem-solving & Decision-making in Software Development Tweet

Those of us who struggle with complex problems for a living, unfortunately, don't have time to keep up with the enormous amount of research in cognitive science that would help us be better thinkers. Linda Rising will share what she has been able to uncover. Some of it is surprising, even counterintuitive. Linda will report on the research and provide some tips for better thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making.