Us vs. Them October 20, 2006
Posted by craiglp in Boondoggle, Conferences, Corporate IT Life, Development methodology, software engineering.trackback
I am a software developer (or programmer/analyst, if you wish). Over my 20 year career i’ve flirted with management positions a number of times. I’ve been a project lead developer (as I am now), i’ve been a team lead with several developers working for me, i’ve even been an IT manager with a budget and employees (in an IT department of 5). But, mostly, i’ve been a developer, probably 16 of the 20 years. Writing software is the reason i’m in the industry.
I am always wary of efforts to seduce me to the dark side (management). I find that I don’t think like most of the managers i’ve ever had. I laugh at jokes that make fun of managers or the corporate bureaucracy. And I find that I have a strong bias toward the developer side of the argument, no matter the subject. No matter what the management edict, I question and push back before submitting willingly. I question the reasoning of management decisions, or the source of management facts and information. It’s just the way I’m built.
This leads me to the inspiration of this post: The Gartner Group (The Big “G”, or GG). I work for an organization with about 900 employees in the corporate HQ. The are about 130 folks in IT.
My coworker and friend (see his posts about the Pacific Northwest Software Symposium, where we ate some excellent Pad Thai, and talked about Microsoft, Open Source, and Robert Scoble). Have been discussing the role of Gartner Group in our organization. When we have discussed this with a mutual friend and member of upper IT management, there is clearly a wide divide between us (the developers) and them (IT management).
Our first reaction when there is a mention of Gartner Group is pretty predictable. We roll our eyes, and let out an exsaparated “Puh-leeeze!”. My actual contact with Gartner Group has been limited, a teleconference or two, and a few too many white papers, and far too many web stories with Gartner Group quotes to back up one claim or another.
In our organization, Gartner Group is the first stop before any decision making takes place. Management wields Gartner Group information like a bludgeon, justifying any inane decision with a white paper, or analyst quote. The developers are instantly on the attack when the Gartner Group club is pulled out.
It’s all about trust. Management trusts the large, well funded, analyst organization that provides wishy-washy and vague guidance that can be spun to fit any organization. Developers find such organizations without credibility, because they are populated by people who aren’t fighting in the trenches with them. They are in nice window offices, wearing suits, and fiddling with Blackberries, just like our managers. They are one of them. That’s why we trust Slashdot, Digg, Joel On Software, and that Java developer we met at a conference who has a blog. They are us.
The fact that you’re wary of being seduced to the dark side of management is a good thing. Managers who are aware of the pitfalls probably make the best managers. The ones that live to be in management so they can screw off and boss people around are the ones that give the profession a bad name.
You should go for it. Become one of them, but remain one of us. Become president, and let me be James Carville.
PS I have so much to say about Gartner that it won’t fit here. It’s on my blog.
[...] First, some background: He and I both work in a company whose IT department is heavily dependent on Gartner for advice on everything. (Read his post if you want an eloquent explanation, I can’t be bothered). [...]
The first stop? Wielding like a bludgeon?