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Conference 7.286::digital

Title:	The Digital way of working

Moderator:	QUARK::LIONELON

Created:	Fri Feb 14 1986
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	5321
Total number of notes:	139771

1577.0. "Leo's Promotion" by TOOK::DMCLURE (Did Da Vinci move into management?) Fri Aug 30 1991 14:32

    	For those with an active imagination, this note needs no
    real explanation and they may skip directly to the following
    paragraph.  However, for those who want some clues as to what
    this note is designed to accomplish, I will say only that the
    basic intent of this note is to shed light on the challenges
    faced by DEC today by attempting to contrast our present working
    environment with that of the great masters of the Renaissance.
    To do this, I will attempt to play the part of one such master
    who stumbled onto a time machine one day in his lab way back in
    the early 1500's, and who has since been working at DEC in a
    variety of Individual Contributor roles at various sites in
    Europe (primarily focusing on the "art" of software engineering).

    				   -davo

p.s.	From here on out, I will be entering text for my friend Leo
    (who doesn't speak English too well yet)...


    	Hello, my friends from the future!  My name is Leonardo,
    but you can call me Leo for short.  I have a problem that I
    am hoping you could help me with.  You see, I am an artist who
    loves to dabble in all of the latest technologies.  In my long
    career I have painted many paintings, studied human anatomy,
    designed many works of architecture, invented many "high-tech"
    machines, and for the past ten or fifteen years, I have been
    exploring the wonderful world of computer science.  With the
    computer I have discovered a palette for realizing the most
    brilliant masterpieces yet to be created!  I am truly excited
    about the amazing potential behind this new art form, and I
    can't wait to get back to my latest project.

    	However, I have a problem.  You see, I am most definitely
    an artist in the complete and universal sense of the word, and
    I do not even pretend to include myself among those "starving
    artists" which many people of this generation seem to expect.
    On the contrary, I, like many of you I would expect, am a master
    of my profession as well as my own destiny, and I have become
    accustomed to commanding a good deal of respect from the merchants
    who employ my services.  As such, I am also in the habit of being
    paid quite handsomely for my services, but more on that later.
    Furthermore, I am not looking for charity, as I am quite capable
    of earning my own way here at DEC, yet I am faced with a dilemma.

        You see, I was recently promoted to a managerial position
    here at DEC because it was seemingly the only way left for me to
    move ahead in this business, but now I grow unhappy because I have
    been removed from my creative element!  I am no longer able to
    work on my programming projects, and I feel as though my technical
    expertise which I have worked so long to achieve is gradually
    slipping away!  This is a truly horrible situation and I would
    hope that there is a solution for me so that I can continue to
    work in this great company in a technical capacity at the level
    of challenge, command, and control that a master such as myself
    humbly deserves.  As there is apparently no guild I can join, I
    must ask the participants of this great corporation for advice.
    Is there a future for a technical master such as myself at DEC?

    				  -Leo

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
1577.1		NETCUR::REID	Marc Reid _ LKG2-2/U10 _ 226-7312	`Fri Aug 30 1991 16:36`	9
	Dear Leo - Perhaps it is time for you to become the Master of Your Own Destiny. Formulate a new product and promote it to a new sponsor, or patron. Get my drift? Marc
1577.2	What is the real problem here?	GUESS::WOOD		`Fri Aug 30 1991 17:58`	13
	Being Creative is not limited to Art or Engineering. There are many ways to be creative in management. But before you can be creative, you need a set of tools at your disposal. Is it possible that what you are facing is frustration over not having the right training/tools, rather being in an uncreative position? You probably have great technical training -- how does your management training match up to this? There is certainly a need for creative people in management as well as engineering in this company! Sue
1577.3	Bo knows Leo	EJOVAX::JFARLEY		`Fri Aug 30 1991 20:18`	8
	If indeed your creative, technical talents are slowly stagnating then the obvious course would be to pursue other endeavors where your talents would be appreciated and valued. If you are content to play "manager" and slowly recede into the callous world of mediocrity, then you will sit back and do nothing. If you are expecting " atta boys" those days are long gone and survival reigns with a iron fist. If it really matters that much to you to re-involve yourself of you many talents then pull up you boot straps "and just do it".
1577.4	hate to rain on anyone's parade	HERCUL::MOSER	So what's a few BUPs between friends?	`Fri Aug 30 1991 22:01`	7
	I find the comparison of Software Engineers to the great Masters to be a joke at best, and at worst a primary reason that Software Engineering is in such a sorry state in this country... cheers /mlm
1577.5		REGENT::POWERS		`Tue Sep 03 1991 10:07`	20
	Okay, Leo... > You see, I was recently promoted to a managerial position > here at DEC because it was seemingly the only way left for me to > move ahead in this business, but now I grow unhappy because I have > been removed from my creative element! Perhaps you need to elaborate on your concept of what "moving ahead in this business" means to you? > I would hope that there is a solution for me so that I can continue to > work in this great company in a technical capacity at the level > of challenge, command, and control that a master such as myself > humbly deserves. "Command and control" sounds like management, or at least supervision, to me. Tell me, Leo, are you looking for a position that involves authority without responsibility? - tom]
1577.6	1 ACK	STAR::POPJ1::PRAETORIUS	one score, six and ten	`Tue Sep 03 1991 12:34`	8
	Gees, just so we don't go through 20 replies without the obvious point being made, yes, .0's author isn't the only person in the company who gets the feeling that many managers would rather encourage an individual contributor to become a manager rather than deal with the process needed to bring increased recognition and benefits to that employee as an individual contributor. Especially at a time when DEC is conspicuously middle-heavy and not showing a lot of signs of improvement in the area. Robt. P.
1577.7	out-sourced masters	AKOCOA::POPE	fifth generation worker	`Tue Sep 03 1991 18:13`	6
	Sorry Leo, while you were investigating management, we "out-sourced" the masters....that we we can buy only what we need. Regards, the new management
1577.8	Not to start a rathole, but...	GOTIT::harley	Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain...	`Tue Sep 03 1991 18:43`	5
	re .-1 What would happen if the masters could "outsource" the management? /harley
1577.9		MIZZOU::SHERMAN	ECADSR::SHERMAN 235-8176, 223-3326	`Wed Sep 04 1991 13:04`	4
	Actually, I seem to remember hearing about a business that provides temporary managers ... Steve
1577.10	if it's an issue let's address it	RDVAX::KENNEDY	Engineering Interface Program	`Wed Sep 04 1991 22:23`	8
	re .0 Likely there's be more use to all of us if there were concrete suggestions on changing the review process for designers. Any Consultant Engineer knows how it currently works. Some ideas for improvement would help Digital more than playing fables. /LK
1577.11		REGENT::POWERS		`Thu Sep 05 1991 10:00`	14
	> <<< Note 1577.9 by MIZZOU::SHERMAN "ECADSR::SHERMAN 235-8176, 223-3326" >>> > > Actually, I seem to remember hearing about a business that provides > temporary managers ... Yes, and you can decide to hire administrators instead of managers. That's what managers hire "staff" for - to administer, not lead. While the dictionary definitions of "administer" and "manage" are quite similar, I think that the words are often used differently from one another. Leo can assign Herman to "administer" the hammer and chisel acquisition and allocation, but Leo is ultimately responsible, and has to manage the situation. - tom]
1577.12	Avanti Leonardo !	BEAGLE::BREICHNER		`Wed Sep 11 1991 08:50`	31
	Hi Leo, Do not desperate! Others as you and me have left the artist's business even before becoming managers. For some it happened when the "process merchants" prefered paperware to creativity. Now as a manager (= leader) you sure should be able to put creativity at work. (Just think about how much of creativity you need these days to motivate, develop, reward IC artists and I am not even talking about the exciting aspects of salaray planning with "pay for performance" versus "bottom line" versus "range position" etc etc..) Having been an artist yourself, you know what turns on and off artist's creativity. There you need new creativity to make happen what you know it's right, even if "process merchants" (the very few who don't understand artists) tell you differently. In some (very rare) cases you might even have to face a crowd of powerful non-artists who do not accept converted artists in their exclusive non-artist's lounges. That's where you have to use "adapted creativity"; the same way as you knew how to delight your art-lovers in the past, the same way you'll find out how to please "process merchants"..... At the end the "masterpiece" is judged (bought or not) by art-lovers anyway. In the past you created small or parts of "masterpieces", now you got the chance to lead creation of big or total "masterpieces". If you drop it, just because you don't want to go to bed with "process merchants" nobody will ever see (buy) the "masterpiece". Avanti Leonardo!