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> because if you actually perform too well you become a liability. What do you mean?

Florin_Andrei 13y ago
Above a certain size, the goals of the organization, and the goals of individuals, diverge sharply.
rjzzleep 13y ago
you might have to shift your perspective a bit. if you work in a bigger structure(e.g. government) a managers job might be to keep as many people working as possible. also, his measurement of success is by how many people he manages, not how much he delivers. ever heard people say "i manage a team of 100 people"? i've heard people say that, and i can assure you not a single person (that mattered) asked, but how efficient are they in return. so if you start optimizing so that a single person can do the job of 5 people in less time you not only threaten their job security, you also question the manager, and you become trouble for accounting. therefore you become a liability. you could argue that, wait a minute, by freeing up their time, and yours we can make more money and more other things, and in theory you would be right, but in practice that's not how it works. there's a certain budget, and you as an individual won't make more that that budget. also for the institution it's better to keep that budget split up for those 5 people. that way they can charge 5 people on that budget, and accounting won't have to cheat. if you don't, then suddenly you'll have to find other jobs for those other 4 people otherwise they're kinda cashflow negative on their salary.
- joe_the_user 13y ago
  Another aspect, I think, is that someone who is very productive both gains influence and become hard to replace. Neither of the things is desirable for someone managing many people.
  - Hydraulix989 13y ago
    Not to mention having to deal with the negative reactions, politics, and jealousy of your coworkers who you "make look bad" by outdoing them in productivity by a factor of five.
    - ak39 13y ago
      Add to that your new innovations and creative methods of solving business problems requires managers to reskill themselves into new modes of operation. Something they hate doing because they got this position to keep the status quo for as long as possible.
- ChristianMarks 13y ago
  Exactly right. I once timed my departure from such a job within a period during which lines lost to attrition or retirement would not be replaced. This was soon after a reorganization. The loss of direct reports hurt the manager's street cred.

Above a certain size, the goals of the organization, and the goals of individuals, diverge sharply.

you might have to shift your perspective a bit. if you work in a bigger structure(e.g. government) a managers job might be to keep as many people working as possible. also, his measurement of success is by how many people he manages, not how much he delivers. ever heard people say "i manage a team of 100 people"? i've heard people say that, and i can assure you not a single person (that mattered) asked, but how efficient are they in return. so if you start optimizing so that a single person can do the job of 5 people in less time you not only threaten their job security, you also question the manager, and you become trouble for accounting. therefore you become a liability. you could argue that, wait a minute, by freeing up their time, and yours we can make more money and more other things, and in theory you would be right, but in practice that's not how it works. there's a certain budget, and you as an individual won't make more that that budget. also for the institution it's better to keep that budget split up for those 5 people. that way they can charge 5 people on that budget, and accounting won't have to cheat. if you don't, then suddenly you'll have to find other jobs for those other 4 people otherwise they're kinda cashflow negative on their salary.

joe_the_user 13y ago
Another aspect, I think, is that someone who is very productive both gains influence and become hard to replace. Neither of the things is desirable for someone managing many people.
- Hydraulix989 13y ago
  Not to mention having to deal with the negative reactions, politics, and jealousy of your coworkers who you "make look bad" by outdoing them in productivity by a factor of five.
  - ak39 13y ago
    Add to that your new innovations and creative methods of solving business problems requires managers to reskill themselves into new modes of operation. Something they hate doing because they got this position to keep the status quo for as long as possible.
ChristianMarks 13y ago
Exactly right. I once timed my departure from such a job within a period during which lines lost to attrition or retirement would not be replaced. This was soon after a reorganization. The loss of direct reports hurt the manager's street cred.