4 ms·

Do attorneys have managers? No, they have senior partners, that are also attorneys. They have clerks to handle the mundane stuff. The wrong model is being ap

• markus_zhang 3y ago
  But attorneys usually don't work in large teams.
  • nine_zeros 3y ago
    > The wrong model is being applied to software. Managers are redundant. > But attorneys usually don't work in large teams. You are both onto something. Tech managers have to manage/support entire teams - like sports teams. Any single individual is not as relevant as the systems governing their work together. Often those are technical systems, and often those are day-to-day systems. But most managers treat management like they need to manage individual people. They over-index on people behaviors and outcomes instead of the team together. This shows up in performance reviews, stack ranking, a culture of nitpicking and fear instead of blameless growth. Ultimately even the business just wants good outcomes and it is in the best interest of companies that managers help their team produce outcomes instead of managers spending time managing each individual. Perhaps the title of managers should be changed to executive assistants. They should be removed from front-line engineering and should only do the mundane work. And they should not be responsible for performance reviews or stack ranking.
• wpietri 3y ago
  If you're looking for other models, I recommend reading Artful Making: https://www.amazon.com/Artful-Making-Managers-About-Artists/dp/0130086959 https://www.amazon.com/Artful-Making-Managers-About-Artists/... For me it was a nice contrast to the "industrial age corporation" and "widget factory" models that are in common use.