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Quoting Joel Spolsky: "The cult of MBA makes you think you can manage the businesses that do things you don't understand" The problem is in thinking of MBA cul
by higerordermap 6y ago
Quoting Joel Spolsky: "The cult of MBA makes you think you can manage the businesses that do things you don't understand"
The problem is in thinking of MBA cult itself. If I was an MBA without software engineering experience I would also not understand intricacies but would think I can manage it anyway.
- mdtusz 6y agoThis isn't limited to MBA's. There's plenty of (non-cs) engineers out there that are in high ranking positions, making decisions over areas of the business that they know absolutely nothing about. It's not an MBA cult problem, but it is a management-academia problem. Universities provide classes about management and business without focussing on the actual business part of businesses. If you want to succeed, domain knowledge will almost always be the most important thing, and business and management schools basically brush this to the side as an afterthought.
- hedberg10 6y agoNo, it's a thinking error. People achieve competency in one area and then conclude that it applies to all areas as well. "I have a masters in biology, I know whats wrong with this country's finances". The soft narcisism of credentialism.
- dv_dt 6y agoA recent major example of this may not be in the software area. The Boeing 737MAX was started and largely developed under Boeing's first non-engineer MBA oriented CEO. Of course to fix it the engineer CEO left holding the bag with the MAX has been replaced again with a non-engineer leader. A counter example would be to ask the question if AMD could have navigated it's resurgence if it had not been led by deeply technical CEO, Lisa Su
- techsin101 6y agoReally clear quote.