Technical Companies

... are different

Do you feel different?  You should .. here's why.

In technical companies, decisions are made differently, risks are taken differently.  

It has to do with culture, a/k/a "the way we do things around here." Culture generally grows on its own, but it can be designed into a company, to more appropriately define how you want it to be.

If you do not manage your culture, it will manage you.

If you are a new leader in a technical industry, see the from techie to manager  for tips on adapting to your new position. The propeller-heads are probably in a position of needing to marketing, so your leadership may mean guiding them through networking tips.

To build an effective team, you better know how they work, what they prefer, and which buttons to push to test their potential.

What you need to know as a leader

      A technical culture appreciates the following characteristics:

• Decisions based on data
• Professionalism in business relationships
• Controlled emotion and composure
• Enough time to ensure accuracy
• Independence and occasional isolation
• Acknowledgement of expertise
• Minimalization of politics

These factors all have benefits, but they can also stagnate the organization.  


They may manifest as stubbornness and resistance to change rather than flexibility. A department with strengths is good, as long as there is also balance.  

So here is what you need to develop for your newly flexible dynamic department.

Stretching a Technical Organization

• Set deadlines with firmness
• Announce timelines and progress
• Entice conflict more openly by getting people to negotiate rather than gloss over or avoid conflict
• Expect relationships to take a long time to develop, but try to build them anyway
• Moderate your usage of emotion, especially when trying to influence others
• Ask people for opinions, not feelings
• Teach employees flexibility and expect to give constant feedback on it
• Address the fact that workplaces are about people
• Do not expect undeveloped ideas to take hold until they are farther along
• When you see behaviors that may be a prevent whatever you define as "forward movement", know that they are natural, but expect to push on them

Getting the Technical Organization to Network More