Geek Incentives

Geek Incentives explores creating incentive systems specifically tailored to enhance the productivity and satisfaction of 'geeks' or tech employees. It underscores the complexity of human behavior in response to various incentives beyond monetary compensation, includes perspectives on management philosophy, and emphasizes the importance of alignment in organizational contexts.

Incentive Systems Management and Leadership Organizational Behavior Employee Motivation and Performance Tech Industry Trends Compensation and Benefits Behavioral Economics

The hottest Substack posts of Geek Incentives

And their main takeaways

See You Over There

11 implied HN points • 23 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Blogging
  1. Kent Beck has migrated subscribers & posts from one blog to a section on another blog
  2. The change was motivated by the advent of Sections on SubStack
  3. Kent Beck invites questions and feedback on this migration

It's Not Programming

63 implied HN points • 16 Feb 21
  1. The metaphor of programming does not fully apply to managing people.
  2. Incentives affect people differently, and behavior change does not guarantee a predictable outcome.
  3. Stay humble when managing people, as it is not the same as programming.

Incentives Change Marginal Behavior

26 implied HN points • 26 Jul 21
  1. Incentives are important and can influence behavior.
  2. Incentives can change marginal behavior when individuals are on the fence.
  3. Creating effective incentives requires considering the complexity of human behavior.

The Geek Incentives Manifesto

30 implied HN points • 13 Feb 21
  1. People create incentive systems often without realizing it.
  2. Incentive system decisions have wide-ranging consequences, especially for those with less power.
  3. Improving incentive systems starts with awareness and caring, and benefits everyone.

Underpaid Programmers

5 HN points • 06 Dec 22
  1. The debate is about distribution of profits between investors and workers.
  2. Increasing salaries in the tech industry may not lead to business implosion.
  3. Higher compensation for tech talent could lead to more success, skill development, and diversity.
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Incentives >>> Money

23 implied HN points • 18 Feb 21
  1. Incentives are not just about money.
  2. Incentives can be intrinsic, such as satisfaction from a job well done.
  3. Social incentives like recognition and belonging also play a significant role.

Collaboration Incentives

18 implied HN points • 02 Mar 21
  1. Incentives flow from manager to individual and accomplishments flow from individual to manager.
  2. Encouraging collaboration is crucial for increasing accomplishments and creating value.
  3. Re-organizations can help align individuals with managers to maximize value creation.

Patterns of Performance Review & Compensation

18 implied HN points • 24 Feb 21
  1. Patterns in decision-making can be recognized and used to guide future choices.
  2. Aligning disparate groups can be achieved through emotional connection and clear processes.
  3. Compensation in organizations involves various components like equity, cash, salary, bonuses, and feedback.

Mysteries of Geek Incentives

18 implied HN points • 16 Feb 21
  1. Hierarchy in organizations is prevalent, but theories may need to be replaced if they don't align with reality.
  2. Creators of incentives can often be unaware of the incentives they create; how can they become more conscious of this?
  3. Monetary incentives frequently lead to unintended consequences, prompting a need for better alignment and understanding of incentive systems.

Authority, Responsibility, Blame, Accountability

16 implied HN points • 23 Mar 21
  1. Understanding concepts of authority, responsibility, blame, and accountability is crucial for a good life.
  2. Disagreements and misunderstandings arise from different interpretations of these concepts.
  3. Clear definitions and discussions of these concepts are needed to address mismatches in authority and responsibility.

Follow the Incentives, Waze Edition

16 implied HN points • 22 Feb 21
  1. In a small company, people have naturally aligned incentives, but in a large company, incentives diverge and behavior follows.
  2. In a large company, the cost of firing someone is much larger than the benefit of firing them, influencing team pace and behavior.
  3. Changing incentives in a company leads to changes in behavior, and understanding this connection is crucial.

Geek Incentives Manifesto Expanded

14 implied HN points • 11 Mar 21
  1. People create incentive systems all the time, often without realizing it.
  2. Incentive system decisions made badly have wide-ranging consequences, especially for people with less power.
  3. Improvement starts with awareness & caring, and it's in everyone's best interest to improve.

Geek Incentives Clubhouse Debut with Keith Adams

7 implied HN points • 17 Feb 21
  1. Kent Beck will be discussing Geek Incentives with Keith Adams on Clubhouse.
  2. This event marks Kent Beck's first experiment with Clubhouse.
  3. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions and contribute during the discussion.

Waze Founder's Comments, Space of All Incentive Systems

2 implied HN points • 25 Feb 21
  1. Former Waze CEO critiqued Google subsidiary from an incentives perspective
  2. Geek Incentives creates a space to explore different incentive systems
  3. Clubhouse event discussed Waze founder's comments and incentive systems

Jocelyn Goldfein Hits the House

0 implied HN points • 04 Mar 21
  1. Jocelyn Goldfein will be in the Geek Incentives clubhouse tonight at 7PM Pacific time
  2. She has a background in FB and VMWare, currently a VC and engineering manager
  3. Jocelyn Goldfein is considered a smart person in the industry