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Does this analogy really fit? I can imagine a software consulting firm targeting small businesses could work where the individual programmers are "in charge" an
by gernb 4y ago
Does this analogy really fit? I can imagine a software consulting firm targeting small businesses could work where the individual programmers are "in charge" and they hire some support staff because each individual contract is small enough that one or 2 programmers can handle it.
OTOH I can't really imagine teams making large projects not specializing. A browser, a AAA game, or an OS for example. Some programmers know GPU techniques. Some know Database stuff. Some know Video compression/decompression. Others know USB driver level details. Others know networking issues. Another few know audio related stuff.
- hkt 4y agoEven so, the fact is that the more hierarchy there is, and the greater the bounty at the top, the more perverse incentives for managers and would-be managers there are. Good management is, by its nature, very minimal.
- Retric 4y agoValve was making AAA games with a flat organizational structure for a while. It’s seems fairly similar, though considering few companies operate this way it’s hard to judge if it’s more or less likely to succeed.
- gernb 4y agoValve might have been flat in hierarchy but that doesn't mean people didn't have specialized roles.
- Retric 4y agoSenior partners in law firms also have specializations. That’s one of the ways how flat organizations self organize. People specializing in tax law aren’t in competition with people specializing in divorce etc. Further they can keep slicing the law into ever smaller specializations which ends up improving the firms reputation. Aka go to a big firm and someone is more likely to specialize in exactly the issue you’re having.