Why are good engineers branded as unsuitable for management?

Question

I believe it is a hidden managerial conspiracy. If the best engineer is made a manager, the company, in some ways, loses the good engineering talent. Also, engineers are branded as geeks or nerds because of the propoganda by non-geeks and non-nerd ignorant idiots who couldn't survive if the smartest guys went into management.

What are your thoughts? I know engineers who are extremely good at their work, have great education, display great leadership, can look at the bigger picture, have excellent communication skills and good personality but they just do not get a chance to be considered for management.

What are they lacking?

Answer 1

You really need to look at things more broadly and fairly before you start calling people names and come up with a conspiracy theory.

Management and Engineering require much different set of skills and it is quite rare, someone has both skills. There are few that do posses those skills and I have seen them go to management or engineering. Also, even within engineering ranks, one can become lead engineer, and go on to an architect type position which is very much a management position.

"Great leadership" as you call it is an important skill for a manager, but leadership required for engineer and a leadership required for managers are completely different.

Answer 2

I'm an engineer. Some companies I worked for (utility, food plant, waste management) had engineers as managers. Especially the utility.

Those managers were extremely good engineers, and those who moved into another, higher position in the company were replaced by another senior engineer.

In general, engineers have bad money skills. That could be one reason. The managers at the above companies all had MBAs.

Personally, I love my hands on job. Management would drive me batty.

Answer 3

As you say, it depends on the engineer's strengths other than simply technical abilities. If the engineer does not have strong interpersonal skills, s/he may not be a good manager. Also, the engineer may simply not like being directly connected to the technology, rather than managing it. Also, they need to be willing to see and understand a bigger picture, rather than their specific area of expertise.

However, management would rather promote a good engineer than fear losing him/her to another company. So I do not think there is any set managerial conspriacy. In my 20 years in high tech, I've seen good engineers get promoted to management and do well. I've also seen them not do well. I've also seen them wishing they had not gone into management.

But finally, they need to be liked. It's tough to work with people that you don't like at any level. Personality means a lot, especially in management where your interpersonal skills are so important. If some of the folks you have mentioned have burned bridges, that is going to be strike against them.

Answer 4

You summed it up nicely. As a talented engineer you actually make a contribution to the organization and the world. As a manager, you contribute nothing and usually impede the progress of those who create/construct/maintain the world. They can't afford to lose someone who produces. Management is about politics and brown nosing and sometimes having a relative in HR. If you want to feel you've accomplished something at the end of the day, stay an engineer.