[dante9999]

I wonder if you can reliably classify jobs into "nonroutine" and "routine". There is element of routine in every work, and I'm pretty sure that even most boring and repetitive job can be done better with some degree of creativity. It would be really interesting to read more about reasoning behind classification presented in this article. I mean can you seriously say there is no "routine" in programming or management?

[ktRolster]

Here's a better article that discusses that: http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2015/04/08/is-your-job-routin...

If your work is just following instructions, then it's probably routine.

As for me, I'd like to see most middle management go away, since I largely see it as a waste (basically, if people know how to manage themselves, you can get rid of most middle-managers).

[kristianc]

It's not a knowledge problem it's a process problem. You can get rid of most middle managers but only once you have the conditions in the business where people can be both autonomous and aligned to the business goals.

Most middle managers end up achieving neither, but a layer of management is the default solution that companies most end up with.

[iamcurious]

You still need management as a way of reducing communication costs. Without any management you need (n!) communication channels in the worst case. With proper management you can achieve (n*C ~).