RE: Managing Extreme Programming

Hi Chris,

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chris Hanson [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2003 5:56 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: RE: [xpAdoption] Managing Extreme Programming
> 
> 
> At 8:18 AM -0700 1/10/03, Steve Ropa wrote:
> >Especially when it comes to our field, the ingrained hostility 
> >between engineers and management seems very very very strong.  I 
> >wonder why that is?
> 
> I think it's because often managers don't see engineers as their 
> peers but rather their subordinates.  It's "Scotty Syndrome." 
> Captain Kirk tells Scotty that he needs warp drive *now*, Scotty says 
> "we need a few hours to repair the engines," Kirk says "*Now* 
> Scotty!"  Scotty always seems to come through, and it's Kirk who is 
> seen to save the day.
> 
> In many managers I've observed this type of deeply-ingrained 
> disrespect for anyone not in a management role.  Anyone not in 
> management is "labor" and just there to follow orders, and managers 
> have far too much to do to understand what it is "the troops" do in 
> any depth.  Pretty much everything about the work can be changed 
> arbitrarily because "they'll think of something, or we'll find 
> someone who will."

What I have been trying to point out is that this is a two way street.  Many engineers, especially programmers, see managers as people who weren't smart enough to do anything real.  I think this has been somewhat exacerbated by Dilbert.  I don't know a single manager who doesn't have a ton of respect for engineers and what they do.  I have seen(and been guilty of) far more hostility and disrespect from the engineer side toward managers. Most managers are assumed to be PHB's until they prove otherwise.
 
> >   Like I mentioned the other day, I imagine that a lot of managers 
> >in our field used to be some of the better programmers who got 
> >promoted for their successes into the management ranks.
> 
> I think promotion from within -- at least beyond the "lead engineer" 
> or "architect" level -- is the exception these days rather than the 
> rule.  The last 25 years or so have seen the development of a 
> professional management caste in western business; in most 
> organizations, it's absolutely impossible to start in the mail room 
> and work your way up to the top no matter how much time you're 
> willing to put into it.  Everyone is hired for a specific role, and 
> if you're being hired for management you need a management education 
> and background to qualify.
>

This has not been my experience.  I have worked in both small(50 employees) to large(70,000 employees) companies, and in the technical arena all of the managers up to the vp level were former technical people, either developers or testers.  I would be interested if anyone knows of a resource to get a handle on whose experience is more typical of our industry.

steve

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