It's important to realize this is written from the perspective of an employer. For an employer, it is much more important that someone can easily take up the reins if something happens to you. From a companies perspective, it is best if their employees are easily replaceable. Employees that can't easily be replaced are expensive. They have the ability to command a higher salary and can force companies to do things they wouldn't otherwise do.
From the perspective of an employee, the company is forcing you to stagnate and become someone that is easily replaced. I don't blame anyone for being insulted by this. The company is advancing their own interests at the cost of their own.
Nobody enjoys being forced to do something. So while an employee forced to work in a certain way can be expected to be bent out of shape, so can an employer whose hand has been forced by an employee. The adage 'shit flows downhill' is true, and the intractable employee will soon find themselves swimming in it.
A company may decide to cut their losses early if you are actively making your position harder to fill. From their perspective, the longer they wait, the more deeply entrenched you become. Companies value reliability. They want someone they can count on. The same goes for people. If your manager doesn't feel they can trust you, if they are consistently afraid that you will embarrass them, then you are a liability to them. If you aren't outright fired, you will be kept on a very short leash.
There are a lot of benefits to toeing the company line, insulting as it may seem. Should you find yourself in the good graces of your manager (and by extension, the good graces of the company), you will enjoy a remarkable amount of autonomy. By being dependable (if not predictable), you gain job security and autonomy. You will find your suggestions are taken more seriously, as nobody is left to wonder what trick you have up your sleeve.
I totally understand where you are coming from. I am always looking for better tools for the job at hand. Companies move slow, and technology moves fast, and it's easy to be left behind if you move at the speed of the company. Ingratiating yourself to your company takes time too. It could be years before you get to use a new technology, at which point an even better tool shows up.
The company has the upper hand in this situation. Changes probably won't come quickly. If you find yourself in a position where you aren't happy with the way you are allowed to do your job, oftentimes the easiest way to solve the problem is to find a new job.
Employees that can't easily be replaced are expensive. They have the ability to command a higher salary and can force companies to do things they wouldn't otherwise do.
A truck number of 1 is a bad deal all the way around unless the employee in question enjoys going without a vacation.
Reasonable arguments. But what's the connection with the article or a previous comment?
Also I've found that most managers know they should keep their team replacable, but also efficient. And they often end up treating long term replacability for short term efficiency gains, again and again and again. So while it should be a real issue it is less often than we coders worry.
From the perspective of an employee, the company is forcing you to stagnate and become someone that is easily replaced. I don't blame anyone for being insulted by this. The company is advancing their own interests at the cost of their own.
Nobody enjoys being forced to do something. So while an employee forced to work in a certain way can be expected to be bent out of shape, so can an employer whose hand has been forced by an employee. The adage 'shit flows downhill' is true, and the intractable employee will soon find themselves swimming in it.
A company may decide to cut their losses early if you are actively making your position harder to fill. From their perspective, the longer they wait, the more deeply entrenched you become. Companies value reliability. They want someone they can count on. The same goes for people. If your manager doesn't feel they can trust you, if they are consistently afraid that you will embarrass them, then you are a liability to them. If you aren't outright fired, you will be kept on a very short leash.
There are a lot of benefits to toeing the company line, insulting as it may seem. Should you find yourself in the good graces of your manager (and by extension, the good graces of the company), you will enjoy a remarkable amount of autonomy. By being dependable (if not predictable), you gain job security and autonomy. You will find your suggestions are taken more seriously, as nobody is left to wonder what trick you have up your sleeve.
I totally understand where you are coming from. I am always looking for better tools for the job at hand. Companies move slow, and technology moves fast, and it's easy to be left behind if you move at the speed of the company. Ingratiating yourself to your company takes time too. It could be years before you get to use a new technology, at which point an even better tool shows up.
The company has the upper hand in this situation. Changes probably won't come quickly. If you find yourself in a position where you aren't happy with the way you are allowed to do your job, oftentimes the easiest way to solve the problem is to find a new job.