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That is almost word for word mentioned in the article: >For example, technical organisations, like Microsoft and IBM have long used split career ladders, allow

That is almost word for word mentioned in the article: >For example, technical organisations, like Microsoft and IBM have long used split career ladders, allowing their engineers to advance as individual contributors or managers. These practices recognize workers for succeeding in one area without transferring them to another. I think there is an interesting component here, though. There are no C-level individual contributors, really. At the head of an organization, is a manager/leader. The skill of management really is rewarded/recognized in organizations more readily. I think that makes sense, since the coordination of individual contributors is the most difficult problem to solve. OTOH, I'd say casually that most of the best leaders are those that were also excellent individual contributors. To really be the top of the management ladder, I think the empathy of personal experience is the more important than most managers give it credit for.

ip26 8y ago
There are no C-level individual contributors, really. At the head of an organization, is a manager/leader. Even the top level technical track folks who are nominally IC's wind up doing some leadership. This makes sense; there's fundamentally a limit on how much you can accomplish all by yourself. Somewhere along the road, your visions will require the work of more people than only yourself. You can be a technical leader without being a manager, so it's not all bad.
shostack 8y ago
Can you be an effective C-level as an IC? Or by definition of the role does that preclude it?
nilkn 8y ago
I can confirm that, at least in my career so far, the management and technical tracks have never been completely equivalent -- even when great effort was spent trying to make them so. Very high-level IC roles are possible that are roughly equivalent to VP or SVP management roles. However, these are often extremely few in number compared to high-level management roles. They often come with a title like Technical Fellow or just Fellow. In a large company, there might be 100 VPs for every 1 Fellow. A mid-level manager is also often afforded more organizational perks than a mid-level IC. For instance, while private offices in general are in short supply across the entire industry, a mid-level manager is much likelier to have one than any IC is regardless of title.

ip26 8y ago

There are no C-level individual contributors, really. At the head of an organization, is a manager/leader. Even the top level technical track folks who are nominally IC's wind up doing some leadership. This makes sense; there's fundamentally a limit on how much you can accomplish all by yourself. Somewhere along the road, your visions will require the work of more people than only yourself. You can be a technical leader without being a manager, so it's not all bad.

shostack 8y ago

Can you be an effective C-level as an IC? Or by definition of the role does that preclude it?

nilkn 8y ago

I can confirm that, at least in my career so far, the management and technical tracks have never been completely equivalent -- even when great effort was spent trying to make them so. Very high-level IC roles are possible that are roughly equivalent to VP or SVP management roles. However, these are often extremely few in number compared to high-level management roles. They often come with a title like Technical Fellow or just Fellow. In a large company, there might be 100 VPs for every 1 Fellow. A mid-level manager is also often afforded more organizational perks than a mid-level IC. For instance, while private offices in general are in short supply across the entire industry, a mid-level manager is much likelier to have one than any IC is regardless of title.