Why can't we go whole-hog on the "manager as servant" direction, then?
Who is we? I can't do it because I don't have the experience to run a company. If you do, go start one, and run it any way you like! I would hypothesize that given the median developer, such a company will dive right into the ground. What you need are rock-star developers.
Right now, as far as I can tell, rock star developers become well-paid consultants. It's a matter of supply/demand - junior developers who need their jobs more than their jobs need them are stuck in the corporate hierarchy. Great developers get consulting jobs and consistently charge ~$200/hour or ~$1000/day, pick who they work for, and have the chance to jump ship if they disagree with management. Some have recruiters, who act like agents do in acting/sports, to represent them/help them find work.
As the developer community as a whole gets better, I imagine one way the market could move is towards a "label" model (kind of, but not exactly like the music industry), where groups of developers form consulting firms for legal and business issues. Right now, the value-add of consulting firms is mostly brand and marketing. When a development teams start to demonstrate they are good enough to be recognized for their own brand, the social restructuring will follow.
Another direction the development of "enterprise software" market can move is partnerships - like legal or financial firms do. My wife works for PWC - a private LLP with 155k employees (8,280 partners [1]) and ~$30 billion in revenue. If they can outsource their financial and tax work to a finance firm, I don't see why banks should do tech in-house.
Who is we? I can't do it because I don't have the experience to run a company. If you do, go start one, and run it any way you like! I would hypothesize that given the median developer, such a company will dive right into the ground. What you need are rock-star developers.
Right now, as far as I can tell, rock star developers become well-paid consultants. It's a matter of supply/demand - junior developers who need their jobs more than their jobs need them are stuck in the corporate hierarchy. Great developers get consulting jobs and consistently charge ~$200/hour or ~$1000/day, pick who they work for, and have the chance to jump ship if they disagree with management. Some have recruiters, who act like agents do in acting/sports, to represent them/help them find work.
As the developer community as a whole gets better, I imagine one way the market could move is towards a "label" model (kind of, but not exactly like the music industry), where groups of developers form consulting firms for legal and business issues. Right now, the value-add of consulting firms is mostly brand and marketing. When a development teams start to demonstrate they are good enough to be recognized for their own brand, the social restructuring will follow.
Another direction the development of "enterprise software" market can move is partnerships - like legal or financial firms do. My wife works for PWC - a private LLP with 155k employees (8,280 partners [1]) and ~$30 billion in revenue. If they can outsource their financial and tax work to a finance firm, I don't see why banks should do tech in-house.
1. According to this: http://bigfouralumni.blogspot.com/2007/03/pricewaterhousecoo...