Wow. I didn't realize there is actually peer pressure in IT companies not to use knowledge of social relationships and human nature for your own benefit. In my opinion, the general unwillingness of computer workers to stand up for their own rights and interests is keeping our entire profession back from getting the money and respect it deserves. If we actively sabotage efforts of people who are trying to improve things, I don't see that there is much hope. Being nerds does not have to imply being clueless nerds.
A lot of IT people just want an easy life - doing what they [used to] love, and gradually progress up the chain based on their skills and experience. People who take short-cuts like this probably don't care about the work, their focus is manipulating their way up the organisation.
In my experience this isn't really true. People are perfectly capable of being ambitious, enjoying their work, and wanting to make a big impact. And there's definitely a positive correlation between social skills and impact.
When you phrase it that way, of course it sounds useless.
Have you ever gone out to a bar and bought a round of drinks for your friends? Yes, that's like $90 a round for 10 people in a New York bar. But I bet you got a drink back from every one of those people some day (and if you didn't, they're not great friends or you make a lot more money than them).
It's kind of the same principle here. It doesn't have to be a steak dinner for 20 people - I know I can't afford that. But if you go out for wings and beer, buy around of beers. If you don't want to do that, go to the local bakery and bring in two dozen bagels and cream cheese. The point isn't how much you spend to be impress everyone, the point is to do something other than just show up and mooch.
Patrick said "Buy your team dinner". That's what I was referring to. Buying a round of drinks is a very different thing, IMO. It's perfectly natural and social behaviour in many cultures.
To be fair to the author of the original article, he suggests buying a round at the pub, which isn't quite on the same scale as buying dinner out for everyone. In the UK that would only be appropriate if you were the manager of the team in question & you had reached a significant milestone in development IMO.
Reciprocal buying of rounds on the other hand is standard issue UK social lubricant. Using "We shipped, yay!" as an excuse to make your's the next round would be exactly the right thing to do.
Exactly , but if your working in a large non IT business you have the problem of getting people who are not in the IT dept to show up at the pub. Especially the movers and shakers.
There's a social dance going on here: You mention drinks to the appropriate people, knowing that some of them won't come but they'll remember the invitation positively.
That is a detail needing cultural adjustment, but the concept is universal.
For example, here in Israel most high-tech jobs include ZeroCater-esque food plans, so (without significant spending) buying food for your team would probably result in a worse meal for everyone. However, buying your team snacks and drinks on special events was standard practice at my last job.
Yeah, OK, that's one way of making all your peers feel really awkward and uncomfortable. And wondering what the little suckup is up to.