Daniel Pinho

§ 4 Well-Valued Contribution

Context

Like all people, software developers have their own values, which can influence how they act.

Problem

The actions and decisions made by the developers and other personnel happen with the projects’ completion as the ultimate goal. These can conflict with a developer’s world-view and set of beliefs, especially if the project is large or if the developer feels a disconnect between them and the project.

How can developers improve their self-value relating to their contributions?

Forces

  • Motivation gives us energy and focus, but the factors that inspire us can be unattainable or, if attainable, hard to sustain.
  • Well-defined goals provide direction for our work, but setting them at the right level of detail and realism takes effort. Meanwhile, poorly set goals, which are easier to come up with, or that can be described more akin to a vision, can have the exact opposite effect, leaving developers lost on how to tackle them.
  • Shared alignment keeps contributions coherent, but reaching it can take time and may limit individual initiative.

Solution

Reflect on and assess the factors related to one’s own value that are compatible with the current project, including motivation, goals, and interpersonal alignment.

According to Deci and Ryan[1], partaking in a task as a means to an end is a manifestation of extrinsic motivation; for instance, a developer may work at their current job because of the pay they receive at the end of the month, even if they do not enjoy other facets of their work. On the other hand, §11 Intrinsic Motivation stems from the task itself, with it being pleasurable and satisfying[2]. Achieving this type of motivation can come from reflecting on work tasks, such as how pleasurable they are to the developer, or on the internal results that stem from them, such as their impact, skill building, or career growth. Identifying a developer’s sources of intrinsic motivation can give a them a new perspective on their work.

Having clear-cut and well-built goals is helpful in that developers know what they should do and why they are doing it, and it reduces the potential for them to feel lost regarding their work[3]. Examples of this include smart goals[4], employing a mix of larger- and smaller-scope goals, as well as tracking them (§12 Goal-Oriented Achievements). Well-formed goals also make it easier to understand how one’s work connects with that of others.

Developers benefit from being mindful of how their own work connects with that of their peers. At the team level, this interpersonal alignment clarifies how contributions fit together, provides opportunities for timely feedback, and prevents duplicated or conflicting efforts. Even without full organisational alignment, awareness within the immediate group can strengthen motivation and reinforce the sense that one’s contributions are well valued.

Examples

  • Parker is assigned to maintain a legacy system that most of the team finds dull. At first, they feel disengaged, but by re-framing the task as an opportunity to stabilise a product relied upon by hundreds of users, following the advice from §11 Intrinsic Motivation, Parker finds personal value in the work. This shift in perspective restores their motivation.
  • Olivia’s team decides to “improve performance” in their application, but the goal feels too vague to energise anyone without any comparable metrics to ensure they are making progress. Following the advice from §12 Goal-Oriented Achievements, she proposes setting a concrete target: reducing average response times by 30% by the end of the month. With a clear, measurable, and time-bound objective tied to the product vision, the team becomes more motivated to contribute.
  • Quentin spends much of his time mentoring junior developers and helping with debugging, but these contributions rarely surface in performance reviews. After his manager updates evaluation criteria to include collaboration and mentorship, Quentin feels his work is properly valued. This recognition strengthens his long-term commitment to the team.

Consequences

  • Exploring motivation, goals, and alignment helps developers see the value of their contributions.
  • Understanding why a developer’s work matters can help them remain persistent when setbacks happen.
  • Reflection on these factors requires time and care, and may be difficult to sustain alongside everyday project work.
  • A developer’s personal goals and motivation may be divergent from the team’s or the organisation’s, potentially causing friction.
  • If the developer feels the value of their work is low, this can highlight their potential dissatisfaction.

References

  1. E. L. Deci and R. M. Ryan, “Self-Determination Theory,” in Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology, vol. 1, P. A. M. V. Lange, A. W. Kruglanski, and E. T. Higgins, Eds., 2445 Teller Road,xa0Thousand Oaksxa0Californiaxa091320: SAGE Publications Inc., 2012. doi: 10.4135/9781483346243.n302.
  2. K. Kuusinen, “Are Software Developers Just Users of Development Tools? Assessing Developer Experience of a Graphical User Interface Designer,” in Human-Centered and Error-Resilient Systems Development, vol. 9856, C. Bogdan, J. Gulliksen, S. Sauer, P. Forbrig, M. Winckler, C. Johnson, P. Palanque, R. Bernhaupt, and F. Kis, Eds., Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2016, pp. 215–233. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-44902-9_14.
  3. E. A. Locke, K. N. Shaw, L. M. Saari, and G. P. Latham, “Goal setting and task performance: 1969-1980.” Psychological Bulletin, vol. 90, no. 1, pp. 125–152, 1981, doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.90.1.125.
  4. G. T. Doran, “There’s a S.M.A.R.T. Way to write management’s goals and objectives,” Management review, vol. 70, no. 11, pp. 35–36, 1981.

Last updated: December 18, 2025