Four factors of thriving

In a preprint, Catherine Hicks, Carol Lee, and Morgan Ramsey outline research that identifies four factors for developer thriving: agency, motivation and self-efficacy, a learning culture, and support and belonging. I take two things away from this proposal: one, I think it’s very relevant that it rests on being able to be seen as being wrong (whether because you made a mistake, or because you disagree with someone). That is, an environment in which everyone can safely be wrong is one in which good work can happen. Second, while this research focuses on developer thriving, I see nothing here that wouldn’t also apply to other functions—especially the many peers (designers, researchers, product managers, and so on) who work alongside developers. Best of all, all of the factors can be managed to, so team leaders who care about thriving should take note.