Is it only in the software fields that people who 'They work enough to get the job done, but typically no further' are coasters? Someone who gets their job should be an excellent employee.
This kind of 'management' is suitable for R&D. It's additionally suitable for any company in which software is a means to an end rather than the end itself.
A textile factory manager, for instance, doesn't care if you write documentation for the changes you're making to the 40 year old Pascal program which runs the machines.