I'm surprised nobody has mentioned a very common non-hierarchal manager: the agile coach/scrum master. On most of my teams, that has been the single most effec

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned a very common non-hierarchal manager: the agile coach/scrum master. On most of my teams, that has been the single most effective management relationship, and I think a big part of that is that neither of us has power over the other. The lack of hierarchy encourages a symbiotic relationship... oftentimes, "how can we work together to make sure both of our bosses are happy with things?"