Software People Inspiring

Agent-based Model Shows That Promoting The Most Competent Harms Organisations

Fascinating research conducted by Dr Blah at the University of Whatever uses agent-based models to show that promoting individuals at random, instead of promoting the most competent individuals in their current positions, tends to lead to better performance overall.

They also compared the strategy of alternately promoting the most competent and then least competent individuals, which also outperformered the strategy of always promoting the most competent.

One strategy they might have missed is one that should be of interest to software craftsmen, though. What would happen if we just left competent people where they are and rewarded them for getting better and better at what they do, and what if we sacked incompetent people?

Or am I just talking crazy again?

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