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I agree with you. I'd like to live and work in such a world myself. But my rather pessimistic opinion is that status, hierarchy, etc are deeply embedded in us

I agree with you. I'd like to live and work in such a world myself. But my rather pessimistic opinion is that status, hierarchy, etc are deeply embedded in us as a species - just like animal species who have pack leaders or dominant males or whatever - and this won't be easy to get rid of. The ones who hold financial strings, the ones who act more arrogant, more confident, more powerful, more knowledgeable - they are unconsciously seen as having higher status.

ppereira 12y ago
The hierarchy could be inverted with a very small change to the laws governing engineers, just as it has been done for lawyers. The details vary by jurisdiction, but generally lawyers must practice in some form of partnership where non-lawyer members are restricted. Work similar to project management is frequently performed by secretaries that are subordinate to the lawyers. Whether or not strengthening the profession of engineering would be good for society is another question. It is inherently anti-competitive. It could easily slip into a system with very few and highly paid "qualified" engineers whose small number would hinder development. This is a problem with medicine and the supply of doctors in some places.
- rayiner 12y ago
  I would note that in the legal field, effective DOJ threats have prevented any attempt to limit the supply of JD grads, while the other rules such as management of lawyers by non-lawyers has remained in place.
wmt 12y ago
The problem is not hierarchies as such, but in failing to recognize the hierarchy as an expert organization where the experts are the masters of their expertise. Managers are project managers who have the responsibility to direct their experts to solve the issues to make the project succeed. It's therefore the managers job to have a best overall understanding of the project, and incidentally it's the job of the experts to inform the manager of any serious issues they cannot solve alone, and possible solutions for the problem if possible. Expert organisations are not hypothetical, and actually have been present in all hitech companies I've worked for. Then again it could be a cultural difference, as I'm working in Finland where social equality is a big thing, and calling your manager, director or CEO with honorifics like "mister" would be considered awkward or almost inappropriate.

ppereira 12y ago

The hierarchy could be inverted with a very small change to the laws governing engineers, just as it has been done for lawyers. The details vary by jurisdiction, but generally lawyers must practice in some form of partnership where non-lawyer members are restricted. Work similar to project management is frequently performed by secretaries that are subordinate to the lawyers. Whether or not strengthening the profession of engineering would be good for society is another question. It is inherently anti-competitive. It could easily slip into a system with very few and highly paid "qualified" engineers whose small number would hinder development. This is a problem with medicine and the supply of doctors in some places.

rayiner 12y ago
I would note that in the legal field, effective DOJ threats have prevented any attempt to limit the supply of JD grads, while the other rules such as management of lawyers by non-lawyers has remained in place.

wmt 12y ago

The problem is not hierarchies as such, but in failing to recognize the hierarchy as an expert organization where the experts are the masters of their expertise. Managers are project managers who have the responsibility to direct their experts to solve the issues to make the project succeed. It's therefore the managers job to have a best overall understanding of the project, and incidentally it's the job of the experts to inform the manager of any serious issues they cannot solve alone, and possible solutions for the problem if possible. Expert organisations are not hypothetical, and actually have been present in all hitech companies I've worked for. Then again it could be a cultural difference, as I'm working in Finland where social equality is a big thing, and calling your manager, director or CEO with honorifics like "mister" would be considered awkward or almost inappropriate.