Great satirical works entertain while speaking deep truths. Like a court jester or Shakespeare’s comedies, humor can often unmask human nature where polite conversation can only obscure. Thus, when approached thoughtfully, jokes play an invaluable role to any thinking person. At their best, they can correct overly genteel approaches to problems. This book, written by a pseudonymous author, does just that. It speaks foundational truths about engineering organizations with a realism that surpasses more respectful approaches.
What is so-called Putt’s Law, from the title? “Technology is dominated by two types of people: those who understand what they do not manage and those who manage what they do not understand.” It’s basically the idea that managing technology requires understanding less, not more, about the details. That is, the Steve Jobs of the world often don’t know how to implement their own ideas. That trade off between managers and technicians forms the natural symbiosis of all technology companies.
Every day as I work in health IT, I face a tension between two trajectories: I must master the big picture where my software projects strategically win in the marketplace, and I must also master the small picture where every detail of code must be 100% correct. I often fail at both. Putt’s Law would say that I should do one or the other, but not both. Perhaps he is right, but practically, I still lack enough funding for my research to specialize only in one.
As I read, I found myself over and over again laughing but simultaneously reflecting, “Boy, that’s spot on!” Any engineer interested in understanding her/his own workplace dynamics will benefit from this short book. It’s light enough to read even after a hard day of work, but it’s wise enough to help on the next hard day of work. Engineers and developers are difficult nuts to crack psychologically and socially, but this work advances useful insights as good as anything else I’ve ever read.
Putt’s Law and the Successful Technocrat: How to Win in the Information Age
By Archibald Putt
Copyright (c) 2006
IEEE Press/Wiley
ISBN13 9780471714224
Genre: Management, Technology
www.amazon.com