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One solution to the tech manager problem is to force managers to rotate back into individual contributor roles every other year (or director to manager, VP to d

One solution to the tech manager problem is to force managers to rotate back into individual contributor roles every other year (or director to manager, VP to director, etc). That way you remove all the people that are just there to collect money and build power structures that are detrimental to the company. This of course won't go over too well with managers. I've read accounts of Zappos managers physically crying because they are forced to give up their power for "Holacracy." Similarly I read accounts of Microsoft managers physically crying in the workplace when they were forced into IC roles during the recent restructuring. These are not the people you need in your organization. If they don't see the value in IC roles, then soon your organization won't have any good IC's and your corporation becomes irrelevant.

s73v3r 11y ago
Not a bad idea, but it has some other issues that come with it. One being a lack of continuity on longer term projects; switching several managers midway through a project can have some pretty negative effects. The other might be with people feeling that there isn't much permanence in their job, or feeling that there is no real potential for promotion or career growth in the company if they're going to switch roles every so often.
- codeonfire 11y ago
  On the first point, managers where I have been rotate around more frequently than a year. They reorg every six months or so. Secondly, if a team sized software project goes on more than a year, it is in jeopardy, so most team sized projects don't have more than a year of planning. Switching roles once per year should be the minimum. On the second point, no real potential for career growth are precisely what drives good IC's out of the company. You feel managers shouldn't have to do IC roles because it's bad for their career? It's also then bad for IC careers. This is the typical manager viewpoint, they don't want to do IC work because it's beneath them and their only goal is to get promoted, get more power, and make more money but not make the company more successful. These are the money and power motivated people that you don't want.

s73v3r 11y ago

Not a bad idea, but it has some other issues that come with it. One being a lack of continuity on longer term projects; switching several managers midway through a project can have some pretty negative effects. The other might be with people feeling that there isn't much permanence in their job, or feeling that there is no real potential for promotion or career growth in the company if they're going to switch roles every so often.

codeonfire 11y ago
On the first point, managers where I have been rotate around more frequently than a year. They reorg every six months or so. Secondly, if a team sized software project goes on more than a year, it is in jeopardy, so most team sized projects don't have more than a year of planning. Switching roles once per year should be the minimum. On the second point, no real potential for career growth are precisely what drives good IC's out of the company. You feel managers shouldn't have to do IC roles because it's bad for their career? It's also then bad for IC careers. This is the typical manager viewpoint, they don't want to do IC work because it's beneath them and their only goal is to get promoted, get more power, and make more money but not make the company more successful. These are the money and power motivated people that you don't want.