“If the essential task of middle managers is reinvention, when is that task to be carried out? The answer is, during time that is not used up directing day-to-day business. The fact that managers have time on their hands (i.e., their operations tasks take up less than eight hours per day) gives them time for reinvention. The extra time is not waste, but slack. Without it they could function in only their operational roles. Reinvention would be impossible because the people who could make it happen are just too busy to take the time. Even companies that didn't fire their change centers have hurt themselves by encouraging their middle managers to stay extremely busy. In order to enable change, companies have to learn that keeping managers busy is a blunder. If you have busy managers working under you, they are an indictment of your vision and your capacity to transform that vision into reality. Cut them some slack.”
Quote by Tom DeMarco
Work
This book explores the concept of 'slack' in the workplace, advocating for a more balanced and sustainable approach to productivity and work-life balance. more
Author
Tom DeMarco, born on August 20, 1940, is a renowned software engineer with extensive experience and in-depth research in the field of software engineering, particularly in software project management, software development processes, and software quality. He co-authored 'The Mythical Man-Month' with Tim Lister, which has had a profound impact on the field of software engineering. more
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