Characterization of Autonomy and Interdependence in Software Engineering

Context: Autonomy and interdependence are work characteristics related to motivation that each individual has to complete her task. Objective: Verify if there is a correlation between autonomy and interdependence. Method: We made a survey of 185 Brazilian professionals of diverse areas, most of them belonging to Pernambuco State. The professionals were divided into two main groups, one of software engineers and another of other professions. We investigate five different constructors, three of them grouped as autonomy and remaining constructors as interdependence. Results: The comparison between samples showed that there are distinct characteristics between autonomy and interdependence. In addition, our sample and sub-samples showed different behaviors between both initiated and received interdependence. Conclusion: We were able to support some of the predicted hypotheses and identify areas for further research.

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