6 Aug 2026 How to build a leaderboard that does not create the behaviour you were avoiding A leaderboard states what an organization values, to everyone at once. Seven design decisions decide whether it produces useful behaviour or Goodhart’s law.
5 min 23 Jul 2026 Recognition that lands: why the shout-out channel goes quiet Every company has tried the kudos channel and most are dead within a year. The reason is mechanical, not cultural: noticing is the scarce resource.
5 min 9 Jul 2026 Why workplace gamification usually fails, and the two cases where it does not Points, badges and streaks attach an extrinsic reward to work people were already motivated to do. The two exceptions are narrow and worth knowing.
5 min 25 Jun 2026 DORA metrics in practice, and the three ways teams break them The four keys measure a delivery system, not the people inside it. What each one asks, how to instrument it, and the misreadings that turn it into a target.
6 min 11 Jun 2026 Measuring engineering productivity without turning it into surveillance Most productivity tools are removed within a year, not because the numbers were wrong but because they answered a leader’s question by exposing individuals.
6 min