If you have seen “The Internship” where Vince Vaughn and Owen
Wilson compete for an internship at Google. The creative culture that Google
provides for its employees is evident. From sleeping pods, free haircuts to
encouraging pets at the work place. I thought I would delve deeper as to why
company culture in IT/Technology companies are so varied and different compared
to your regular 9-5? IT companies encourage casual clothing, flexible working
and a flat hierarchy which is something unique to the IT industry.
One of the reasons I have identified especially for Silicon Valley
companies is an emphasis on getting things done quickly. For most developers
there is an intolerant attitude towards corporate bureaucracy as this will slow
them down. Which is important when it comes to strict deadlines, an iterative development
cycle and an agile approach to software development. Flexibility is key to this
process which is a likely reason why such companies endorse this flexible
approach to working. In an industry where products can become obsolete
overnight and requirements change rapidly. The ability to adapt to new
technology changes is key to IT companies.
To conclude this was a really interesting look at
why the culture is so important in IT companies and for me personally one of
the main reasons why I would look to join a company. If I can see from a
company that they embody the “IT culture”, it becomes a really attractive
company to apply for. I will include some of the sources I have used to help
write this article.
Sources used:
https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insight-outlook-california-dreaming-corporate-culture-silicon-valley
Follow @EdwardMuldrew
Another key reason to offering amazing company benefits such as
free food, health and dental care, haircuts, dry cleaning, gym and swimming
pools, etc is the IT industry often has a shortage of talent.
For many
employees their job satisfaction is based off how much they enjoy working with
a technology, how challenging their work is and being able to collaborate with
other highly skilled engineers. People in the tech industry behave more like
independent contractors, moving from job to job. The product of this is a
highly mobile talent base. Therefore companies are committed to providing these
benefits which are at a cost for them. However high staff turnover would be a
greater cost to the company.
Employees in software have an appreciation for the importance of
team work and collaboration. This is one of the reasons why Google has made
long lunch tables to expose them to more people. Why Google has made waiting in
lunch lines about three to four minutes long, to ensure people get to meet new
people but not waste time. This helps employees bed in to the company and
constantly learn from others. The aim for the company is to create a loyal,
creative and collaborative workforce. The design of Googles office removes
fixed offices and high-walled cubicles in favour of open space for
brainstorming and face-to-face communication. I feel this is especially
important for an industry where developers are spending the majority of their
time on computers. The social aspect of software development should be
encouraged and motivates employees.
My final point as to why IT companies are different to most
working environments is generally people who work in IT think differently. They
are problem solvers, creative and innovative. Engineers love to break things
and figure out how they work. This is why companies need to adapt to their
workforce, provide an environment which works for their employees. This will
make them happier and more productive. In a great article from Accenture it
states
“Most of the IT professionals in Silicon Valley said that making a lot
of money was very important to them—yet many of them stated that they would
work for less, just for the opportunity to work on something that energises them and helps them grow professionally and, potentially, create more value for
their organisation.”
Sources used:
https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insight-outlook-california-dreaming-corporate-culture-silicon-valley
Comments
Post a Comment