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I've definitely had management not listen to me. But I wouldn't share that information publicly in order to get them to coerce them into making the right call.

I've definitely had management not listen to me. But I wouldn't share that information publicly in order to get them to coerce them into making the right call. And if I did I definitely wouldn't expect to be working there for long. Should have known that they were hiring people they would later consider trouble makers is a very different goal post than part of the job description.

wpietri 6y ago
In which case, you see yourself not as a professional, but as a minion. That's fine, but understand that it works differently for other people. Consider a doctor, for example. A hospital can hire them and give them orders. But they see themselves as having a duty to the patient and to society. If something isn't right, they will surely say so internally first. But if harm continues, they absolutely will raise a ruckus, up to and including talking publicly. That's not them being a "trouble maker". That's them being professionals, not bootlickers. Whether or not the hospital administrator puts that in the job description, everybody understands it's part of the deal. I would note that real engineers have the same sort of duty: "Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public." https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/when-engineers-become-whistleblowers/ https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/when-engin... I think it's a little sad that many software developers see themselves as minions, but hold out hope that one day we'll become professionals.
- JamesBarney 6y ago
  It's weird that use the term and minion and professional in a way such that the farther you go up the org chart the more "minion like and unprofessional" they get. With the CEO probably being the most minion like and least profressional.
  - wpietri 6y ago
    Not at all. The CEO isn't doing whatever the powerful tell him. Neither are high-level execs. See Locke and Spender's "Confronting Mangerialism" for a good breakdown of the game they're playing. Its line workers, and maybe first-level managers that are the most minion-like, the ones who most believe that their job is to follow orders make their boss look good, without regard to impact, value, or ethics.

wpietri 6y ago

In which case, you see yourself not as a professional, but as a minion. That's fine, but understand that it works differently for other people. Consider a doctor, for example. A hospital can hire them and give them orders. But they see themselves as having a duty to the patient and to society. If something isn't right, they will surely say so internally first. But if harm continues, they absolutely will raise a ruckus, up to and including talking publicly. That's not them being a "trouble maker". That's them being professionals, not bootlickers. Whether or not the hospital administrator puts that in the job description, everybody understands it's part of the deal. I would note that real engineers have the same sort of duty: "Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public." https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/when-engineers-become-whistleblowers/ https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/when-engin... I think it's a little sad that many software developers see themselves as minions, but hold out hope that one day we'll become professionals.

JamesBarney 6y ago
It's weird that use the term and minion and professional in a way such that the farther you go up the org chart the more "minion like and unprofessional" they get. With the CEO probably being the most minion like and least profressional.
- wpietri 6y ago
  Not at all. The CEO isn't doing whatever the powerful tell him. Neither are high-level execs. See Locke and Spender's "Confronting Mangerialism" for a good breakdown of the game they're playing. Its line workers, and maybe first-level managers that are the most minion-like, the ones who most believe that their job is to follow orders make their boss look good, without regard to impact, value, or ethics.