The closest analogy I can make to that dynamic is that in the academic system, there are early-game filters (getting into graduate school, getting a PhD, getting a job) that emphasize technical ability over the plethora of other softer skills helpful for producing good research.

As I make the transition to the “midgame” I’m seeing a transition: applying for grants, teaching classes, attracting and training students and postdocs, forming long-term collaborations, these subgames emphasize soft skills and meta-level vision mostly absent from the early game. It would have been helpful to be explicitly trained to make this transition.

So there’s a tension here. On the one hand, one can protest that the competencies the system selects for are a small subset of those needed to be a great researcher, and thus the system fails to select and train researchers optimal for their intended role. On the other hand, one can argue that the hard technical skills are the “aggro”, the bedrock upon which every other layer of abstraction is built, and it’s necessary and proper that the foundations are built properly first. If you cannot prove good theorems yourself but still get funding and PhD students, it’s not clear whether you’re a maverick with a unique skillset to contribute, or a fast-talking snake oil salesman.

It seems like the zero-sum nature of those games/war is a big part of that dynamic (if I don’t respond to your aggro strategy I will die—no matter how clever my mid-game).

Is something similar in math research? If you produce solo work does it stop me from making progress in a more clever group way (if I ignore you)?

]]> https://radimentary.wordpress.com/2018/03/20/the-strategic-level/comment-page-1/#comment-2508 Fri, 01 Mar 2024 05:28:27 +0000 http://radimentary.wordpress.com/?p=2575#comment-2508 […] strategic level systems can significantly assist top management with strategic decision making in several ways: […]

The people I knew who tried to do this systematically across all domains of their lives ended up feeling very insecure all the time. Probably it’s not a problem, likely even a net positive, done in moderation.