And while Spolsky laments managers that become “ultimate decision makers,” he overlooks the need for an ultimate decision maker within specific contexts. In other words, sometimes you have to go into command mode in order to move forward, make tough calls, and get through the day. Or defeat the Borg.
Make It So: Joel Spolsky Gets it (Sort of) Wrong
Critical point from ensignau. Spolsky glosses over the issue that the staff of gigantic brains each has their own area of expertise, which means that the “right” or “best” thing to do in any given situation isn’t necessarily clear.
In an ideal world everyone would play nicely together all the time, but alas, Dr. Pangloss, it is rarely so. The day will come — and probably sooner rather than later — when there’s no consensus and somebody needs to make the decision.
To Spolsky’s larger point, yes: if every decision ends up going to “management” you’ve got a real problem, but that’s a problem that belongs to the organization as a whole, not just the manager.
