The Office had a tough time latching onto a manager-type when Steve Carrell left the show. Without Michael Scott, viewers watched Will Ferrell fail, Kathy Bates do alright, and then... the solution. James Spader. Who became the kind of manager who had the chops to compete with Michael Scott, both in terms of character depth and in terms of managerial effectiveness.
While no one could ever replace Michael Scott and what he brought to the timeless show, Robert California, in his one season of brilliance, stacks up against his predecessor, even as he serves as a stay-in CEO.
This list is dedicated to contrasting the ways that Robert California prevailed over Michael Scott, and in the ways that Scott prevailed over California.
Robert California: Doesn't Make Stupid Mistakes
Early on in the Office, all that is seen from Michael Scott is stupid mistakes. Over and over, he proved himself a buffoon. They had to make a point, when Michael Scott and Jan go to Chili's to make a sale, that Michael was not just an idiot. But he still kept making stupid mistakes.
Robert California just doesn't do that, barring the one time he shut down Binghamton when he was on "Colombian whites." Robert doesn't consciously make stupid mistakes. He's too efficient of a manager to do so.
Michael Scott: He's Just A Good Guy
No matter what Michael Scott did or didn't do, no one could ever question his intentions. He is such a good guy, he's got a heart of gold (even if he's got a brain of rocks, sometimes), and he was never purposely creepy or inappropriate.
Robert California is generally not a good guy. He has instances of being a great guy, but overall, he does some weird, creepy, questionable things that he can't make "Colombian whites" excuses for. Those instances are all on him. Michael Scott would never do such things.
Robert California: He's Actually Incredibly Smart
Not only does Robert not consciously make stupid mistakes, but he is actually an incredibly intelligent person. So much so that even in his interview with the search committee, Jim admits that he thinks that Robert is a genius (despite being creepy).
Throughout his time in charge, California helps Dunder Mifflin blossom within the Sabre enterprise, he consistently makes intelligent calls and even when he does slip up (winners vs losers, for instance) he turns it around into a positive with quick thinking.
Michael Scott: He's Very Creative
There might not be a big need for creativity in the northeast paper market, but Michael Scott had more creativity than he knew what to do with. He was constantly writing and filming movies, thinking about his books, his HBO comedy special—his entrance into the spotlight.
Sometimes, that translated to his work. For instance, the Golden Ticket idea, which, while it was initially a failure, ended up being a tremendous win for Dunder Mifflin. Robert would have shot that idea down so fast, let alone think of it himself.
Robert California: Doesn't Need The Spotlight
Michael's incessant need to be in the spotlight got annoying at times. Think of Phyllis and Bob's wedding, when Michael just had to be the center of attention, despite it not being his wedding. Or Jim and Pam's wedding. Michael always had to be the focus, and it wasn't a good look for him.
Robert does not want or crave attention. He cares about productivity and progress. Think of the Garden Party, when everyone is toasting Robert and he deflects it all, saying that he and Andy are just overpaid babysitters. He gives all the credit to his employees.
Michael Scott: He Genuinely Cares About His Employees
No matter what Robert does for the Office, it's never explicitly clear if he actually likes any of them. In fact, numerous times he comes across as demeaning, and it's clear that his level of conversation is above that of his fellow workers.
Michael, on the other hand, frequently refers to his employees as his best friends, often to arched eyebrows. But say what you want about him, he loved these people, genuinely, and you can't say that same thing about Robert California. He may well not have been capable of love at all.
Robert California: He Actually Teaches
The mark of a good leader is actually teaching those that follow. Michael Scott never really taught anyone anything. He was a good salesman at times, and Jim could learn by example or whatnot, but his attempts to teach his employees never really ended up in a good way.
Robert California does teach his employees because he is smart enough to do so. He teaches his people how to be a more effective salesman, and he also teaches them how to be better at life. Think of the speech about fear that he gives on Halloween. He uses everyone's fears as a teaching moment.
Michael Scott: He Loves His Job
Robert California goes into a downward spiral after taking over as CEO. His personal life gets in the way, his substance abuse gets in the way, and his job is not his top priority.
Michael Scott always has this job as his top priority. He loves the job so much that it will always be his top priority. The only time he engages in drinking alcohol is with his employees, where he is still the boss and so proud of it that it's like a dad, gloating over his children. Robert has other priorities, Michael never did and never would. Until Holly came around.
Robert California: He Inspires The Unexceptional
Similar to his ability to teach, Robert also inspires people that are just... average. Andy Bernard, for instance, is a very average human being. Under Michael, he didn't strive for much. He didn't go above and beyond. But when Robert chose Andy, Andy became someone else. He was motivated, he was aspiring to greater things. He was a better person.
The same goes when Robert ran into the winners and losers incident. He took a bunch of "losers" as he dubbed them, and motivated them to be better, solely because he saw them as losers. That takes a special man with some kind of charisma.
Michael Scott: He Would Die In This Office
While it may be a joke to some, the fact that Michael Scott would literally die in the Office makes him hard to replace as the perfect than to have in charge. No matter what happened, Michael was always at the front of the Dunder Mifflin picture, leading the charge for their products and standing up for his employees. But even when things went awry, like when he was dating Pam's mom, he makes the declaration that he is, in fact, ready to die in this office. Thus it becomes clear once and for all that nothing was a higher priority to Michael than that Office.
Again, until Holly came around.