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Course Syllabus

Master 2020/2021

Psychology of Software Development Team Management

Type: Compulsory course (System and Software Engineering)
Area of studies: Software Engineering
Delivered by: School of Psychology
Where: Faculty of Computer Science
When: 2 year, 1, 2 module
Mode of studies: offline
Instructors: Olga Abramova
Master’s programme: Software and Systems Engineering
Language: English
ECTS credits: 4
Contact hours: 32

Course Syllabus

Full Syllabus

Abstract

a. Psychology of Software Development Team Management is a course about building the effective software development teams in the context of modern IT organization with focus on human-centered approach, innovation and successful product development. The course provides the knowledge of the main concepts, models and theories of teamwork management with practical skills’ training in the real project. The course is designed to prepare students as future IT project managers with knowledge of essential psychological basis of people behaviors in teamwork and modern organizational context. b. The course is obligatory discipline for the 2st year master students of the MSc program 09.04.04 “System and Software Engineering”. c. It is presupposed that all students enrolled on the course completed corresponding full-time Bachelor degree training programs and were selected (based on either portfolio tenders, or other core performance indices) to continue their MS studies in the educational program “System and Software Engineering” (SSE). Therefore, no other special requirements, apart from those that are mentioned above, are put forth.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • The aim of the course is to give students theoretical knowledge and practical skills in management of software teams. Deeper understanding of people behavior with regard to motivational process, personality traits, leadership styles and organizational culture in IT organization is essential during the war for talent and digital transformation of business. Modern horizontal organizational structures require different strategy and techniques to inspire people for creative outcomes, stable performance and innovative products. Students will improve their leadership skills, develop deeper emotional intelligence in recognizing employees’ needs and start usage of psychological instruments in management practice. Moreover, the project teamwork will get experience in creating social roles, planning team results and influence groupthink processes.
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • understand the main innovative technologies, theoretical approaches, best practices of organizational psychology on a team level
  • plan and execute the team research projects to generate and evaluate complex ideas and organizational practices
  • critically reflect and apply main motivational theories in organizational psychology
  • able to use the specific concepts, models, and methods of decision making process to solve complex problems in software development team
  • critically reflect upon theoretical approaches and implement them to achieve effective organizational change towards innovation on a team level
  • create the software development team with remote work practice with regard to international context
  • compare and train the management style of software development team leader in corporate organization and in a start-up.
  • analyze and train contemporary leadership styles in a dynamic 21st century work environment of IT company, acting consistently, ethically and socially responsibly
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • Innovative technologies and people in software development.
    Traditional software development processes. Agile software development process. Project management. Product development. User experience design.
  • Software development team building.
    Team roles and responsibilities. Team conflicts. Groupthink biases. Personality traits of team members.
  • Motivation in software development team.
    Basic psychological needs theory. Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation (Deci and Ryan). Self-efficacy theory (Bandura). Goal-Setting Theory (Locke).
  • Decision making in software development team.
    Rational DM vs behavioral DM theories. Prospect theory (Kahneman and Tversky). Psychological bias. Nudging (Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein). Communication.
  • Change and innovation in software development.
    Design thinking. Novel ideas generation. Change management. Innovation diffusion. Innovation paradoxes.
  • Software development team types.
    Multicultural teams. Multifunctional teams. Virtual teams. Remote teams.
  • Software development team management: corporation vs startups.
    Leadership and communication. Knowledge sharing. Problem-solving. Bottlenecks and fails.
  • Leadership in software development teamwork.
    Transformational, transactional leadership styles. Servant leadership. Innovation leadership. Ambidextrous leadership. Self-leadership. Power paradox.
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Class participation and preparedness
  • non-blocking Homework №1.
  • non-blocking Homework №2.
  • non-blocking Test
  • non-blocking Class participation and preparedness
  • non-blocking Homework №1.
  • non-blocking Homework №2.
  • non-blocking Test
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • Interim assessment (2 module)
    0.225 * Class participation and preparedness + 0.263 * Homework №1. + 0.262 * Homework №2. + 0.25 * Test
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • Chiocchio F., Kelloway E.K., Hobbs B. The Psychology and Management of Project Teams: An Interdisciplinary Perspective, 2015. Oxford Scholarship Online (available: HSE Electronic Resources / Oxford Scholarship online).DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199861378.001.0001
  • Christensen, C. M. (2013). The Innovator’s Dilemma : When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Review Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=nlebk&AN=675240
  • Reiter-Palmon R. Team Creativity and Innovation, 2017. Oxford Scholarship Online (available: HSE Electronic Resources / Oxford Scholarship online).DOI:10.1093/oso/9780190222093.001.0001
  • Schwartz, B. (2015). Why We Work. New York: Simon & Schuster/ TED. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=nlebk&AN=1970298

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • Hofstede, G.J. Exploring Culture: Exercises, Stories and Synthetic Cultures / Gert Jan Hofstede, Paul B. Pedersen, Geert H. Hofstede. – Yarmouth: Intercultural Press Inc, 2002. – 234 p. – ISBN 9781877864902. - Текст: электронный // DB Books 24x7 [сайт]. – URL: https://library.books24x7.com/toc.aspx?bookid=6723