h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've come across the example in other areas where a person has become a manager or a teacher because they know the on-the-floor job well - but really don't have the skills needed for management or teaching...

Believe me, it doesn't take that many skills to be a teacher.

B

Ah, but to be a *good* teacher? One who will inspire his/her students and make them want to learn more?

Case study? Where is the study?

Hmmm, sorry to put a spanner in the works but I found this article very disappointing.

All it says is, good driver = this personality....manager = different personality.

Aside from the fact that this is a pretty sweeping generalisation there is no analysis whatsoever as to *why* Alain Prost is/was a poor team manager. All we are given is that he won no races and they were wound up in 2002. I don't recall Ligier being all that successful as a team before he took over. It also makes no mention of the financial dominance of the big teams McLaren, Ferrari, Williams etc and the fact that they already have the best engineers, best drivers etc. This makes breaking into the market virutally impossible and Prost did pretty well to make a go of it at all really. IMO.
Since he's only had one chance as manager so far then it's possibly a little premature to cast him in stone as a poor manager. Maybe if given another chance he might not be, who knows?

The title was my doing, as Sub. I was never particularly happy with it, to be honest.

We were struggling for a fully descriptive title, and even posted to askh2g2 in an attempt to solve the problem. Unfortunately all that was forthcoming was dodgy puns.

B

'Unfortunately all that was forthcoming was dodgy puns'

and I would have been first in line with a dodgy pun had I seen it

... I guess I should go back to being a scout with feelings this strong I'd have at least tried to knock it into shape back then. It's an interesting story/idea it just needs more depth.
What I'm not sure mostly about is the deinition of success being winning races in Formula 1. Whil granted you get the odd race being won by teams outside the big three it's not really a realistic goal of the second/third echelon teams and so I don't think "no Grand Prix wins" is a partcularly good example in this case. Ligier were only kept going prior to Prost because they were essentially bankrolled by the French government as I recall. I suspect getting a successful F1 team is more about getting good sponsorship deals to bankroll the team than anything else. Of course you need *some* success on the track but that usually involves collecting the odd point rather than winning the title unless your name is Schumacher these days.

And your first name is Michael, indeed.

I have to say I did think the entry was a little bit harsh on Alain Prost - he wasn't a horrible failure in the same way that, say, Ian Dowie has been as a football manager. In my role as Sub, however, I didn't really want to subvert the whole article by making anything more than cosmetic changes.

B

Fair enough.

I wish I could argue on the Merits of Ian Dowie. Alas I agree

If you want to do an update to the entry, be my guest. I was never really 100% happy with the entry - it was a translation of a French essay I wrote, and I just thought that if it got picked, someone must think it's suitable! I wasn't happy with the title either, but as nobody could think of a better one we were stuck with it!