This is absolutely what happens. I've been fortunate in my own management over the years but I have witnessed atrocious management "nearby" and talked to friends at other companies in similar situations. One or two quit entirely because of their direct managers. Layoffs happen, incredibly talented people are pushed out the door for some stupid reason or another, and yet the most poisonous of managers somehow keep their jobs at most companies it seems.
Spot on. And the big question is how to make the right hires to maintain the company's culture. Probably it's not so much about making the right hires, but quickly fixing the bad hires.
Re:Working at big software companies
by BadassFractal on Sunday August 12, 2012 @05:41PM
(#4373729)
I worked at a corporate giant where my skip level did not know who I was for close to 8 months. He never met with any of the employees besides the leads reporting to him, his manager and his peers. I think he had to find out about me when I left, but he still didn't even bother trying to talk me out of it.
Re:Working at big software companies
by sisypheanblithe on Monday August 13, 2012 @03:13AM
(#4374821)
How many people were under him?
Re:Working at big software companies
by BadassFractal on Monday August 13, 2012 @04:05AM
(#4374914)
I think somewhere between 30 and 40.
The immediate manager is a major reason, from what I've seen, for why people leave or love their jobs. The manager may not even share the same ethics that need to flow down in the company from the founders/owners, and may even work towards ensuring her/his own appraisal success. This is why maintaining the big company's culture is such a tough task, and one bad hire at a senior level can slowly destroy major chunks of it.