Depends on the team experience, morale, complexity of product, organization, and customers.
I also agree that a high-performing team tasked with a clear mission don't need more than a glorified secretary.
But if any of those start to fail then it starts degrading everything. Without decent managers, development/progress can collapse.
Decent managers can paper over the other deficiencies to a surprising degree.
Good software devs can also paper over deficiencies in the chain as well to a surprising degree.
Bad managers can be part of the problem too. Bad devs will obviously kill the whole thing.
And of course everyone in that chain has their own agendas, from selflessly devoted to the macro-organic corporation to machiavellis edging for any economic and power advantage.
Capitalism is supposedly about the free market, but organizations strangely don't align themselves to the basics of microeconomics. They are centrally planned top-down pyramids. Incentives will never properly align to maximize organizational productivity because of the totalitarian nature will reward those with power, not productivity.
I also agree that a high-performing team tasked with a clear mission don't need more than a glorified secretary.
But if any of those start to fail then it starts degrading everything. Without decent managers, development/progress can collapse.
Decent managers can paper over the other deficiencies to a surprising degree.
Good software devs can also paper over deficiencies in the chain as well to a surprising degree.
Bad managers can be part of the problem too. Bad devs will obviously kill the whole thing.
And of course everyone in that chain has their own agendas, from selflessly devoted to the macro-organic corporation to machiavellis edging for any economic and power advantage.
Capitalism is supposedly about the free market, but organizations strangely don't align themselves to the basics of microeconomics. They are centrally planned top-down pyramids. Incentives will never properly align to maximize organizational productivity because of the totalitarian nature will reward those with power, not productivity.