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Hardly radical, but maybe only part of the picture. Going on the
assumption that this kind of discussion is on-topic, I would suggest
that what you suggest is a "micro-management" approach. I think a good
manager also has to have a "macro" view that encompasses more than the
current product or project. The manager is caught between the workers
(managees?) and the customers (internal or external) and, for long-term
success, he or she must try to keep both happy. Not always at the same
time.
When I was a software manager, for example, I often assigned projects to
people who were not the best-fitted (by training, experience or even
aptitude) for them because it gave them a chance to learn something
new -- and also provided me with more fully-developed resources for
future projects. In the short run it took longer and sometimes caused
unnecessary client problems, but in the long run it led to a happier and
more flexible department (with very low turnover).
Maybe all this is implicit in your comments, but I have seen so many
narrowly project/product-focussed managers (hands on or hands off) that
I think it needs to be made explicit.
