The pace of production depends on the capability of those at work. When an increase in profit is desired, production is sped up. Yet those forced to work faster aren't necessarily more productive. Unhappily experienced at being forced to work harder and faster resulting in less productivity, Clarke Ching found a way to slow down expectations and increase productivity.

Conflict in the workplace is likely to last longer, be more intense, and be more difficult to resolve if the people in conflict barely know each other. In this column, Naomi Karten describes how to strengthen relationships and reduce conflict by helping people get to know each other better.

Linda Hayes has worked in the software industry for a long time and through a lot of changes. But a series of recent events has led her to question whether the industry has changed for the better or worse. In this article, she recommends some attitudes we should lose and some we should adopt in order to save our software and—in some cases—our lives.

Change is disruptive. Even when a particular change leads to a positive outcome, the transition from the old way to the new way can be a time of turbulence. Might there be circumstances in which it's appropriate, or even helpful, to prolong that period of turbulence? That's the question Naomi Karten wrestles with in this column.