It’s interesting that you keep referring to this hypothetical person as “the resource”… I’ve managed people similar to the ones you describe, and enjoyed it. B

It’s interesting that you keep referring to this hypothetical person as “the resource”… I’ve managed people similar to the ones you describe, and enjoyed it. But they do live in another value system. One where “resource” is a dirty word. One in which teamwork has no intrinsic value (beyond the additional economic value it creates). I could write a whole book on this, but to sum it up I think its mostly just a mismatch between team/management and employee. The former often think of themselves as having the company’s best interests at heart, but when I listen to stories from “the other side” (the “smart” engineer that’s been marginalized / pushed out) it’s not hard to see the defense mechanisms and political behavior on their side.