Armed truce: software in an age of teams

As software grows more complex, the role of teams looms ever larger, forcing software development organizations to confront the shifting balance between conflict and cooperation among programmers on a common project. This paper suggests that the degree of constructive conflict and dissent, rather than consensus, is the crucial variable in the success of packaged software teams. The composition and behaviors of the members of these teams also suggest the outlines of new forms of organization in innovation industries and rapidly‐changing institutions.