I disagree with the OP that managers "ideally" wouldn't be necessary. It's only the stigma of BAD managers that we dislike. A great manager is a LEADER who in

I disagree with the OP that managers "ideally" wouldn't be necessary. It's only the stigma of BAD managers that we dislike. A great manager is a LEADER who inspires and moves everything forward. Without those people we're just a bunch of people working in parallel in a room, hoping it actually connects in some useful way at the end. The person who can draw everyone together for a common purpose and create a synchronous working environment IS the manager (whether you call him that or not). Let's not confuse the necessary role of a leader with the horrible implementation by so many unqualified and stoopid people.