Discussion
A key thesis behind the flattening of tech organizations was outlined in Jack Dorsey’s From Hierarchy to Intelligence manifesto.
Dorsey argues that a key purpose of middle management is to relay information between employees and executives. AI can increasingly do this, reducing the need for managers.
This was controversial when Block laid off 40% of its workforce but it’s now becoming conventional wisdom among executives.
We saw flattening too, even before I left. Presumably for similar reasons, however in the conversations I was a part of, it was explicitly revenue overhead driven.
Two devastating mistakes I saw (which repeated in this example):
1. Managers do not own comms. Your structure is wrong and broken if your relying on this.
2. What managers actually do is coaching. Usually career coaching, to get the best productivity from their teams, but can often be life coaching.
1/2
@carnage4life reminds me of
"
[…]And darkness was upon the face of the Workers.
And they spoke among themselves, saying, ''It is
a crock of shit, and it stinketh.''
And the Workers went unto their Supervisors and
said, ''It is a pail of dung, and none may abide the
odor thereof.''
And the Supervisors went unto their Managers,
saying, ''It is a container of excrement, and it is very
strong, such that none may abide it.''
And the Managers went unto their Directors, saying,
''It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its
strength.''
And the Directors spoke amongst themselves, saying
to one another, ''It contains that which aids plant growth,
and it is very strong.''
And the Directors went unto the Vice Presidents […]
And the Vice Presidents went unto the President, saying
unto him, ''This new plan will actively promote the growth
and vigor of the company, with powerful effects.''
And the President looked upon the Plan, and saw that it
was good.
[…]"
@carnage4life
Mollick's post is fundamentally wrong in saying that #AI can tell execs "...what's important to pay attention to..."
AI has zero ability or context to decide "importance". What it can do is tell an exec --something-- to pay attention to, and quite convincingly.
I did not read Dorsey's manifesto, but if he failed to understand middle management's role in aggregating expertise upwards, then he's an idiot and the business model is doomed to fail.
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@carnage4life
Oh enthusiasm for the company is monitor 24 seven even when you go home you’re not off duty.
Replace management in fact you don’t need it at all. You don’t even need the executives.