What is the first thing we do when a major issue occurs in a live system?  Sort it out of course.  Then we start the hunt for the person to blame so that they can suffer the appropriate punishment.  What do we do if a person is being awkward in the team and won’t agree to our ways of doing things?  Ostracise them of course, and see how long it is until they hand in their notice – problem solved.

Why do humans have this tendency to blame and punish?  Not only managers punishing team members but also punishment within teams and self-punishment.  I was very excited to discuss this topic with Scott Hanselman on HanselMinutes recently.

http://hanselminutes.com/526/punishment-driven-development-with-louise-elliott