The IT Infrastructure community norms

This talk is based on a book in production.

"Understanding the existing structure and rules of any given community is essential for entering, working in, working with, or enacting change within that particular culture. There is an astounding amount of interest in IT culture from many different vectors. Increasing numbers of people are looking to take advantage of the higher incomes offered to technical jobs, and certainly the demand for workers who can perform them competently is continuing to increase. Others in the industry are concerned with the low proportion of women and minorities entering and remaining in IT sector jobs. Management and C-suite workers want to know how to attract, retain, and organize their IT groups. But whether you are a woman looking to break into the lucrative and glamorous life of systems administration, a frustrated technical manager needing some guidance in the care and keeping of your current stable of nerds, or a BSD working group trying to explain your core values to the wider community, gaining a better understanding of the fundamental cultural norms of ITI culture will help you navigate that world much more successfully." ... "When Robert Merton examined how scientists behave in “The Normative Structure of Science,” he observed four normative behaviors that were central to that community: universalism, disinterestedness, organized skepticism, and communalism. Later research pairs these norms with counter-norms:  particularism, secrecy, organized dogmatism, and self-interest. "

During the talk I will discuss each of the norms, some counter-norms, as well as how the IT community has adapted it to uniquely suit its population. What I'm discussing gives people a way to communicate more effectively about certain topics (ie, those related to gender, prestige, pay, choice of OS, tab v. space).