3 ms·

My belief is that, after working in a couple of dysfunctional companies, organization design with proper work and communication processes, and effective managem

by dilemma 10y ago

My belief is that, after working in a couple of dysfunctional companies, organization design with proper work and communication processes, and effective management, is the "secret" to company success. Almost no one seems to understand what management is and that it is a job in itself, just like being a designer or engineer is. That being said, I've studied management and agree that as it's being taught it is indeed inane. Currently, I'm learning how to not manage a company by working as a grunt and being managed. I think this experience will be very valuable in the future as I intent to start a company.

cookiecaper 10y ago
Can you walk us through your idea of the daily work of a manager, since you say it's "a job in itself"? I understand that if you give a person a title and tell them to sit around for 40 hours a week and collect a paycheck, they'll invent ways to stretch that out, but in real terms, what are the daily objectives that a manager must address? How many people can one manage before they need to commit their attention 100% to management? 10 subordinates? 5? 1? Is someone not a "real manager" as long as they have time to do code work on the side? Is a manager who does code automatically less qualified than one that would ensure his managerial duties exclude any time for other pursuits? Is someone only a legitimate "manager" if they went to school for it? Can it be self-taught? I've had management positions before so I have my own answers to these questions, but I'm curious about yours.
7952 10y ago
> My belief is that, after working in a couple of dysfunctional companies, organization design with proper work and communication processes, and effective management,] These are principles that people generally agree with. However, applying them with force from the top can do more harm than good. You can have a couple of possible outcomes: * The process will be badly designed and ignored. * The process will be badly designed and not ignored. Designing good systems is very difficult and needs to be based on evidence.

by dilemma 10y ago

cookiecaper 10y ago

Can you walk us through your idea of the daily work of a manager, since you say it's "a job in itself"? I understand that if you give a person a title and tell them to sit around for 40 hours a week and collect a paycheck, they'll invent ways to stretch that out, but in real terms, what are the daily objectives that a manager must address? How many people can one manage before they need to commit their attention 100% to management? 10 subordinates? 5? 1? Is someone not a "real manager" as long as they have time to do code work on the side? Is a manager who does code automatically less qualified than one that would ensure his managerial duties exclude any time for other pursuits? Is someone only a legitimate "manager" if they went to school for it? Can it be self-taught? I've had management positions before so I have my own answers to these questions, but I'm curious about yours.

7952 10y ago

> My belief is that, after working in a couple of dysfunctional companies, organization design with proper work and communication processes, and effective management,] These are principles that people generally agree with. However, applying them with force from the top can do more harm than good. You can have a couple of possible outcomes: * The process will be badly designed and ignored. * The process will be badly designed and not ignored. Designing good systems is very difficult and needs to be based on evidence.