Background
Engineers vs Managers
We engineers want to focus on engineering. It would be great if we only had to deal with engineering, but that's not the reality. For more than 50 years, another role, "manager," has been considered indispensable.
Unless you have a team of exceptionally talented individuals or work in an advanced organization like a Teal organization, you will need both engineers and managers. However, because their roles are inherently different, they often clash. Here's a discussion I find intriguing:
An Untapped Area
Recently, I've realized there is a third domain that neither engineers nor managers can fully cover.
For instance, the concept of a Glue Worker is quite clear, and senior positions like staff engineers have already become well-established. In short, there are numerous meticulous tasks and follow-ups that can't be handled by typical engineering or management. A modern consensus suggests that these require either voluntary contributions by talented engineers or managers or “empowered” indispensable figures like staff engineers.
Busy! We Need More People!
However, roles like these are scarce in absolute numbers. They can't cover entire teams or organizations.
We need to take a further step. It's time to define a third way that's neither engineering nor management.
About Spreaders
A Spreader is a role focused entirely on "spreading" information.
Spreading Information
What do they spread? Information.
Spreaders collect and convey information overlooked by engineers and managers, bring external knowledge into the organization, or organize internal knowledge and share it externally for the benefit of the organization (this is more about in-team vs. out-team dynamics rather than internal vs. external to the company). They conduct untouched investigations and document the findings, handle documentation, and share other content, which both engineers and managers tend to neglect.
The Unsung Heroes
Engineers primarily engage in engineering directly related to their work. Managers focus largely on project-related management (project management). They might manage products, people, or other areas, but in any case, they deal with matters directly related to work.
Conversely, Spreaders do not deal with directly related matters. Instead, they handle everything else. They understand the domains of projects and members, collecting aspects that these people miss. Alternatively, they might proactively shape and suggest ideas on how things can be improved.
No Correct Method for Activities
There's no correct way to define the activities of a Spreader. What they should do varies by team, project, and organization, and even changes based on circumstances within the same environment. The only rule they must follow is to not engage in work directly related to projects. In other words, they don't bear direct responsibility for a job. However, they must wholeheartedly support engineers and managers.
Examples of Spreaders
Though Spreader is a "new concept" I developed, there are some examples.
Glue Worker
According to Being Glue — No Idea Blog, Glue Work involves:
Like noticing when other people in the team are blocked and helping them out. Or reviewing design documents and noticing what's being handwaved or what's inconsistent. Or onboarding the new people and making them productive faster. Or improving processes to make customers happy.
I call all of this glue work.
Thus, a Glue Worker is someone dedicated to Glue Work. Instead of engineers or managers doing it voluntarily, they take responsibility and embody the third role as a Spreader.
Catalyst
In the context of Knowledging, the Spreader is referred to as a Catalyst. This role emphasizes the flow of knowledge inside and outside teams, facilitating its transmission to others.
Use of Time
To understand the differences between engineers, managers, and Spreaders, let's focus on their use of time. The original discussion can be found in Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule.
Engineers Seek "Uninterrupted Time"
For example, they seek blocks like "all morning" or "all afternoon," typically around 3-hour slots.
Engineering is creative, with intricate contexts that involve intensive mental effort. Engineers need uninterrupted time to maintain their concentration and work at their own pace.
Managers Seek "Conversation Time"
On the other hand, managers focus on interacting with others, so they have multiple 30-60 minute slots and think about who to fit into them.
As mentioned in the original discussion, this is a poor match with engineers. A hybrid approach is recommended as a compromise: dividing time into engineering and management segments, such as allocating the morning for engineering and the afternoon for management. During engineering time, managers shouldn't schedule meetings with engineers. During management time, meetings can be scheduled as engineers will expect and plan for them.
Aside: On the Hybrid Approach
The hybrid approach is commonly used as a compromise. Originally meant to indicate a mix of multiple elements, it's often used in the context of a mix of two.
Working styles are similar. Your workplace probably specifies a certain ratio of remote work and office presence, labeled as hybrid work. Unless the upper management is exceptionally dictatorial, it should primarily be hybrid. If not, the lack of diversity is a sign to consider a change. Unless the pay or work content is excellent, it might be worth enduring.
Spreaders Don't Require Time Slots
How do Spreaders spend their time?
In fact, Spreaders don't rely on fixed time slots. Instead, they move between small slots, ranging from a few minutes to about 30 minutes, affecting various areas. They quickly handle tasks like posting simple comments on a channel, tweaking documents, tracking progress and sending reminders, doing 5-minute writings to gather material for study sessions, and setting up meetings for forgotten discussions between colleagues.
While it might seem similar to engineering at first glance, unlike engineers, Spreaders don't engage in creative work. Their tasks are more "time-consuming work that gets done with time." However, they can't work indefinitely, and frequent context switching contributes to fatigue. Cognitive stamina often doesn't last even for a full day in this third way of being, which makes the role challenging.
How to Coexist with Three Approaches?
How can engineers, managers, and Spreaders coexist? Naturally, the hybrid method applies, but with three elements instead of two:
-
Engineering Time
- Time for working independently with deep focus
- Little to no direct communication with others, or it's done asynchronously
- Sometimes involves high-density real-time communication like pair programming or mob programming
-
Management Time
- Time for conversations
- Generally involves synchronous communication, often accompanied by non-verbal communication
- Includes all meetings, whether casual or formal, open or closed
-
Spreading Time
- Time for small-scale sharing and collaboration
- Involves tasks, sharing, and communication previously treated as volunteer work
Balancing these three time types is essential. Specifically, it involves determining how much time to dedicate to each within a day. This doesn't need to be precise but rather serves as a guideline. We call this time division the Activity Portfolio.
Let's abbreviate these as ET, MT, and ST, and provide some example portfolios. Assume a 7-hour workday (excluding lunch).
| Engineering | Management | Spreading | Impression |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 5 | 0 | Common scenario. Engineers tend to cry out |
| 6 | 1 | 0 | Works in small teams, but managers often lament |
| 4 | 2 | 1 | Engineering-focused with a balanced approach |
| 3 | 3 | 1 | Organizations that value communication |
| 2 | 2 | 3 | Haven't seen this yet. What kind of organization is it? |
There's no correct answer for portfolios. Also, the company's suggested portfolio may not match the standard one within teams. It's crucial to dynamically adjust the portfolio to fit the team, project, and organization.
Quick Reference for Roles and Time Use
Here's a quick reference:
| Engineer | Manager | Spreader | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ET | Engineering | Management or Engineering | Spread or Engineering |
| MT | Management | Management | Spread or Management |
| ST | Spread | Spread | Spread |
Engineers can follow the activities directly associated with the time slot.
Managers can engage in engineering activities during engineering time or continue with management (i.e., conversations).
Spreaders should follow the designated activities but can also engage in spreading.
It's worth noting this is a guideline, and organizations can adapt it. Unlike the portfolio, avoid dynamic changes here to prevent confusion. After setting it, continue to implement it consistently for several months at least.
Conclusion
We've defined the role of Spreader as a third role, following engineers and managers, and compared the three from the perspective of time use.
Modern times are challenging. We're humans, and no matter how much technology advances, organizational approaches remain primitive. Previously, the lack of flexibility stemmed from having only two roles: engineer and manager. I hope the introduction of Spreaders as a third role can break this deadlock.
See you next time.
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