Beyond blaming: congruence in large systems development projects

Abstract

As early as 1852, Charles Babbage could see symptoms of decay and infer from them a vision of future performance. In so doing he provides a perfect description of the blaming style of communication that emerges in "decaying" organizations-be they nations or software engineering organizations. What is a blaming style of communication, and why is it important in systems development? In order to answer these questions, you should first understand the concept of congruence. Congruence describes the human experience of alignment between the internal and external-what is thought and felt (the internal), and what is said and how it is said (the external). Congruence is integrity at the most basic level and thus has immense value to a project and each individual in it. Without integrity, we cannot build trust; without trust, we don't feel safe; without safety we have a hard time being congruent. Thus, congruence reinforces congruence in a powerful loop that improves the chances of producing a quality product, on time, and within budget.