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De-Blurring the Lines
By Hayden
Jones
Managing
Consultant
hayden_jones@renolan.com
Where does
technical focus end and management begin? In many organizations, the
line between the two is blurred.
Technical people rise up through the ranks of an organization
and, at some point, can go no higher. They are usually called a
senior-something or a lead-something. At this point, they may lose
site of managing the work on their desk or in a portfolio and begin
to assume that, since they are at the top of the technical job pool,
they are to manage other associates. They might not hire and fire
the associates or give them appraisals or raises, but they do begin
passing work along for others to do. They assume that being "senior"
or "lead' gives them management authority—it should not. The manager
is supposed to provide leadership, assign work, and provide
performance feedback to associates; this is not the job of a senior
or lead technician.
The manager is responsible for managing the work and the
people. Technicians are responsible for managing the work once it
has been assigned to them, and technicians are responsible for the
impact their decisions have on the work they complete. Having the
senior or lead assign work to others in the work unit might be a
short-term solution for the manager, but it should not become a
long-term practice.
As associates move up in an organization, their focus will
change from a purely technical one to a blend of technical and
management to, finally, all management. However, there is no
blending at the technical levels. It begins at the supervisory role.
The senior or lead position in a unit must have a technical
focus, and the job responsibilities should be 100 percent technical,
until that time when they are promoted to supervisor or manager.
When the "Supertech" (a term I like to use for a technician
who functions as a quasi-supervisor) begins assuming management
responsibilities, it can lead to morale problems in the unit. Others
in the unit might see the technician assigning work to them as a way
for the technician to reduce his or her own workload, cherry-pick
the easy projects, or make life difficult for some associates.
So you ask, "If the senior or lead technician is not going to
assign work to others, what are they supposed to do?" I believe they
should:
- Perform the work as outlined in their job description;
- Mentor other technical associates in their unit;
- Train newer associates on methods and practices;
- Offer their vast expertise to others; and
- Manage their desk, their assigned work, and their
portfolio—not the other associates in the unit.
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