For technical people, it's equally frustrating, because it's often difficult to encapsulate complex technical ideas in simple language. They assume that if the boss is asking for an oversimplified version of reality, he is either unwilling or unable to understand the nuances of the technical work for which he is responsible. If a staff member believes that his boss is unable to understand what the staffers do, then he will develop the belief that the boss is unqualified to supervise them.

In addition, if staff members believe that the boss is unwilling to invest the time or mental energy required to understand their work, they assume that their boss is lazy and that they shouldn't bother working so hard themselves.

Unfortunately, in most situations, this mess is the result of a true misunderstanding between managers and technical people. Most managers know that they don't completely understand all the details of the technical work they supervise. And most know that it's impossible to summarize such work in less than a paragraph. But what the managers often fail to do is ask the right questions.

Usually, when a manager asks someone to explain a complex technical issue in simple language, what he's really asking for is not a summary or a simplification. What he means to ask is, "What information do I need to understand in order to make good decisions about this issue? And what information do I need to understand in order to communicate effectively with our clients and supervisors?"

This, of course, is an entirely different matter. What is really going on is that managers are trying to understand the information that's critical to performing their jobs. If they were to be more articulate about what they really needed and wanted, a large amount of strain could be removed from the managerial and technical relationship.