IC or Manager: The Efficiency Paradox

July 17, 2025

This article explores the 'Efficiency Paradox,' where high-performing individual contributors (ICs) struggle to transition into management because direct technical output feels more efficient than the long-term work of leading people. While being an IC represents a 'local optimum' of personal productivity, true organizational impact is achieved at a 'global maximum' by scaling others. Being a manager is not an efficiency loss, but a strategic necessity for achieving impact beyond the constraints of a single individual's capacity.