Things are changing a bit in the industry, but programming teams have historically been wolf packs. You have the alpha dominant one that withstands the challen

Things are changing a bit in the industry, but programming teams have historically been wolf packs. You have the alpha dominant one that withstands the challenges of the young up and coming pups. Sometimes the alpha needs to nip their heels to get them in line. This shape can work well if you have a good alpha. It provides direction and confidence in the team. It can be a great antidote to team staffed entirely with prima donnas. When done well, it actually provides a safe place for people to learn and experiment because the alpha is the only one that takes political risks. On more democratic teams I've seen many junior/intermediate developers absolutely melt down when they suddenly discover that they aren't as good as they thought they were. I thought this was an interesting set of anecdotes about dog roles: http://www.massachusettsdogtrainer.com/page11.php http://www.massachusettsdogtrainer.com/page11.php