Derailing irrationality
summary
Summarizes cognitive biases in software work and evidence-backed fixes: cites the IKEA effect (creators overvalue their work ~5× from a Harvard origami study), a lab finding that labeling trainees as high potential improves scores by ~23%, and a “15-minute rule” that makes ~90% of issues disappear by the next day. Recommends concrete practices: explain intent before code review, ask interview candidates how they’d handle a bad project to screen for attitude, run quarterly feedback cycles, and prune unused features.
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chapters (14)
- 0:00Introduction
- 0:26Cognitive biases in development
- 3:24IKEA effect and work valuation
- 4:05Loss aversion in projects
- 5:50Code deletion and learning
- 6:55Time valuation and waiting
- 8:02Google’s 15-minute rule
- 9:07Fairness and feedback in reviews
- 11:41Effective team communication
- 13:55Pygmalion effect in teams
- 16:48Hidden potential in others
- 17:34Impostor syndrome
- 18:43Team strengths and weaknesses
- 20:09Summary: people first
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