I’d agree with Hartmut, that first 45 minutes is forcing a small group of people to try and quickly learn to get along, which I doubt would meet with much success (Jerry Springer Show anyone?)
Often you’ll learn how to work with people that annoy you, or don’t perform the way you would like. That sort of knowledge comes with time. I’d be willing to bet that with more time and a larger group the impact of the bad apple would much more limited.
Want an example of this, see also wikipedia. And there’s no way to throw them out.
Uh, conventional knowledge says that a chain (group) is only as strong as its weakest link…
If you can’t tell who the bad apple is in your group, it might be you.
Does every group have a bad apple? I mean, is the worst person necessarily a bad apple, or do they have to meet some threshold of crappiness?
What if the entire group is the same?
How can this be discussed without sounding like a bad apple? Clever topic.
On the flip side, my brother once mentioned a leadership book about group think: how groups of smart people make dumb decisions.
@TM: You just kick one at a time, until you only got one left.
This is the worst post ever.
I’m glad to find one techie who listens non-tech podcast(s) (I normally get weird looks when I mention non-technical podcasts around my tech friends). BTW, if you liked this episode of the show, you may enjoy other episodes, too, like these ones: http://alekdavis.wordpress.com/2008/05/26/best-of-this-american-life-podcasts/
So what this post is really trying to say, A bad apple spoils the whole barrelful?
My grandmother was right, and she didn’t even have a blog.
yeah, whatever…
I must confess to being the Jerk. But I’m working on it!
Speaking of bad apples, Jeff, stackoverflow seems to be getting overrun by a troll.
If more people were like Al Bundy - group dynamics would be solved (and maybe less software problems). He’s a real american hero with real good sound values.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Bundy
I know for a fact that this is true. I’ve dealt with bad apples myself, and have also seen groups affected by them. They really do bring the whole group down. It’s strange to watch other members of the group take on the same personality, almost as if they just want to be on the same level. And then everyone tends to focus on the worst member and not the actual goals of the group.
Hi my name is Norm.
I am an 80%'er
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001002.html
I am unreachable
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000856.html
And I am a bad Apple
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001227.html
Now how do I change my ways?
This phenomenon is so very real. The other night we were playing a card game, and this new person said I hate you to people every time she had some small reverse in luck during the game. Other newer people took on this destructive habit, too. It takes 6 positives to make up for 1 negative, and that only works in some cases, not all. She spewed out about a dozen negatives. Pretty soon we weren’t having a very good time at all. It occurred to me that if she continues coming to visit the group, we won’t even be able to play that game any more, and we’ve been enjoying it for at least 4 years, always finding opportunities to feel good and say thanks to each other with smiles. She changed the dynamics of the entire game for everyone into a pile of toxic sludge.
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Cheers
Dave ~_~
Too much apple talking makes me feel hungry. I’m going to lunch right now.
Live in three non-English-speaking countries for the next two years, then try this career again.
This post scratched an itch, so I started a thread here you might like to read/contribute-to
http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=525336
You are right in that slacking and jerking isn’t nice.
But if someone has negative comments but no positive ones, so what? You should have the answers to the negative comments, if the bad apple doesn’t. Also the negative ideas are comments or questions. You cannot move forward if someone tells you that there is a wall ahead even if you get rid of the commenter.
I think many become bad apples if the rest of the group doesn’t listen to the person. If someone has a good idea, but the rest of the group rejects the idea because of some random reason, the idealist starts to feel that he isn’t appreciated as part of the group.