I wonder if anyone here can comment on what it is like to work for one of the new "flat" organizations. I've not but from what I understand, managers are replaced with strict adherence to process - its not the wild-west management free nirvana that so many believe. That's only what I've heard though.
So, person who expects their manager to communicate cutting edge technology to you. Can you communicate cutting edge technology to the rest of your team? If not, why not? If so, then congrats, you are doing what you are paid to do.
Being a manager at Oracle is a miserable existence. You have to listen to whining like this. You have to listen to mo--nic objectives and directives coming from above that make no sense - and then communicate those to a team as if you actually by into them. No one tells you anything. Deadlines are given to you that are ridiculous and arbitrary. No one listens to you - above or below.
So I'll tell you what your manager won't. Just shut the hell up and do your job. If you don't like your job or the company, just leave and make everyone's life a little more peaceful. Sure, you can complain about things but learn when enough is enough and that nothing is probably the direct fault of your manager.
Of course there are bad managers out there - I know of some firsthand. They are complete id--ts that should not be allowed to manage people. People thinking they need to be strict and process oriented at all costs. There are mo--ns in every position from IC0-M8 (or whatever M is the highest). You will never escape that. Most people are just normal people trying to do their job.