The parent-child analogy is spot on. It's also why managers see themselves as the authority figure and get annoyed when people don't do as they say. Whereas most employees (especially in high-tech jobs) expect their manager to be a mentor/guide, rather than a "boss". This disconnect tends to cause a lot of friction.
The best managers I've ever had used to be programmers and understood this. I've never seen these people as bosses and working with them was a constant joy almost every day. Sadly they are the minority.
Managers start to feel like bosses when they don't have any technical background. The teams they manage are usually made up of juniors without much technical experience either, they'll be programmers rather than engineers reinforcing the "pop culture" Alan Kay talks about.
> Whereas most employees (especially in high-tech jobs) expect their manager to be a mentor/guide, rather than a "boss".
Actually, I would argue that most employees don't know what they want their manager to be. If they did, they would remember that and be better managers later.
> Actually, I would argue that most employees don't know what they want their manager to be. If they did, they would remember that and be better managers later.
I don't think that's true. I think most managers, however, when they become managers, learn what their managers expect them to be, which may not be what their employees want them to be.
