Aikido and software engineering

ABSTRACT

Aikido is a martial art whose core philosophy is about conflict resolution and taking care of our opponents and ourselves. My experience, and the experience of fellow aikidoists who work in software development, is that the practice and philosophy of aikido enhance our ability to be effective in the workplace. This paper discusses why this may be.

REFERENCES

• 1: Beck, Test Driven Development: By Example, Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., Boston, MA, 2002
• 2: Crum, Thomas F. The Magic of Conflict. Touchstone, Simon & Schuster, 1987.
• 3: Marick, Brian. "Agile Methods, the Emersonian Worldview, and the Dance of Agency." Position paper for an OOPSLA workshop on commonalities of agile methods. http://www.visibleworkings.com/papers/agile-methods-and-emerson.html.
• 4: http://www.fact-index.com/r/ra/randori.html

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.6 MANAGEMENT OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
      K.6.1 Project and People Management
          Subjects: Management techniques (e.g., PERT/CPM)

Additional Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.6 MANAGEMENT OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
      K.6.3 Software Management
          Subjects: Software development

General Terms:
Design, Human Factors, Management

Keywords:
aikido, conflict resolution