Dont make yourself redundant

Overview
When a manager splits a big engineering team into two smaller teams, there is a risk that the manager's role becomes unclear or redundant. This article explains why managers should avoid that pitfall and provides practical steps to remain valuable and effective after the split.

Key Takeaways

• Clarify your purpose and focus on impact rather than ownership of people.
• Shift from managing individuals to enabling teams and their leads.
• Communicate early about the new structure and your role.
• Invest in coaching, process improvement, and cross-team alignment.
• Measure success by team outcomes, not by how many reports you have.

Who Would Benefit

• Engineering managers preparing for a team split.
• Senior leaders overseeing re-organization.
• New managers looking to define their influence.

Frameworks and Methodologies

• Servant leadership principles.
• Team of teams thinking.
• OKR-based outcome focus.