Wiring The Winning Organization | Author Dr. Steven J Spear
Discover more from Dev Interrupted
Wiring The Winning Organization | Author Dr. Steven J Spear
Plus, how to hire an SVP, templates for engineers, and OpenAI's turmoil
The story behind why some organizations win big and keep on winning.
This week, co-host
interviews Dr. Steven J. Spear, renowned MIT senior lecturer, founder, and author, to discuss the core principles from Dr. Spear's new book with , Wiring The Winning Organization.They delve into why some organizations consistently outperform others, highlighting how the best organizations create systems that enhance problem-solving through slowification, simplification, and amplification, aligning processes with cognitive strengths.
With case studies from NASA's Apollo missions to Apple's smartphone market dominance, the book is a must-read for those looking to harness collective ingenuity for exceptional achievements.
Episode Highlights:
02:00 Inspiration behind the book
05:30 Social Circuitry
10:00 Applying system thinking to leadership
16:30 The 3 Mechanisms
22:30 More insights from the book
26:00 Lessons for engineering leaders
The Download
The Download is engineering leadership content we’re reading, watching, and attending that we think you might find valuable.
1. Turmoil at OpenAI
The news late Friday of Sam Altman’s departure from OpenAI sent shockwaves through the tech industry.
The still-evolving story changed almost by the minute over the weekend, with many left wondering what the future will look like for a company that has become a culture zeitgeist.
Sam (and possibly many of his former OpenAI employees) has found a new home at Microsoft.
Read NYT’s coverage: Microsoft Hires Sam Altman Hours After OpenAI Rejects His Return
2. Six templates every engineer needs
In an idea-so-good-why-didn’t-we-think-of-it,
created a set of templates from postmortems to design docs to help engineers save time and energy.Check out all six templates here:
VOTE NOW: Best DevOps-Related Podcast
Dev Interrupted is a finalist for the 'Best DevOps-Related Podcast Series' by DevOps Dozen.
Thank you to all the listeners who nominated us; we’re honored to be recognized for our support of the DevOps community. Public voting for the finalists is open until December 31st.
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Vote now: DevOps Dozen 2023
3. How to hire a great SVP
Andreessen Horowitz is famous for backing some (OK, many) of the most recognizable names in tech. So it’s fair to say they know a thing or two about what to look for in your next Senior Vice President of Engineering hire.
a16z: Hiring a Senior Vice President of Engineering
4. Know your value
It’s been a tough year for many in tech, with one layoff tracker showing a quarter million layoffs in 2023, but the job market for software engineers has been surprisingly resilient. Why?
As LeadDev’s Editor-in-Chief
puts it: “They know their value.”Upcoming Events
December 4-5 | Berlin, Germany
Highlights: Conference themes include: 1) Skills for leading in a downturn; 2) Doing more with less; 3) Preparation techniques for change; and 4) Crafting agile, ambitious, and achievable workflows.