Comment by wslh | Hacker News Reader

Comment by wslh | Hacker News Reader

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> We speak of management pseudoscience not as a wicked and depraved ideology now, but as a legitimate field of study, like math or history. What an unbelievable farce.

I think you could also apply this to software developers or other professionals where there are relatively few who can distinguish between the engineering, science, craft or ignorance of the profession.

There are good managers and management theory as there are good warriors and war theory. Not the same but have some similarities. The average general couldn’t win a complex war. Many skills are needed beyond the specific studies you have (e.g. MBA).

I agree with you that management is a placeholder that hides the ignorance behind a title. This doesn’t mean there aren’t people who have merit and strong background in management.

No Doubt. But there needs to be someone who does his or hers best effort to hire, or fire people and does their best to make sure the workers can succeed in their task. Thye workers themselves can not do that because they can not hire themselves.

Good leadership is more art than science.

My critique of Taylorism was not directed at individual managers, by any means. It's firmly at that bean-counter view of the worker, as an input of "human resources" to be minimized at any cost. You'll note that Taylor was not the first person to call himself a manager.

If you want to see what Taylorism applied to war would look like, look no further than Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The spreadsheets said we have more ammo than Stalin did in WWII! It's impossible that they were all looted and all we have left are Mosins from the museum! What do you mean, sanctions prevent just in time manufacturing? We replaced all our professional soldiers with independent Wagner contractors on work release from prison and conscripted children. Why do they keep deserting? No one wants to work anymore!

You'll also note that the most famous military book of all time was not called The Science of War, but The Art of War.

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