Diversity in the Technological Workplace
During several years of working with people and technology, I've had the good (and bad) fortune of working with dozens of individuals who have demonstrated the many different ways of dealing with the computer side of our business. When taking a close look at this issue, it becomes obvious that it is far more complex than the simplistic notion that there are those that "get it" and those that don't.
Since computers have become such an integral and important part of our workplace, it's worth taking a look at some differences in people's personalities and how this diversity affects their orientation toward these everyday tools.
Many factors play a part in the development of one's orientation toward computers. Age, experience, education, job security, personal insecurity, intuition and a willingness to learn are just a few of the factors which shape this direction. So maybe taking a brief look at the following 10 design firm "techno-personalities" can help identify strengths and weaknesses in ourselves and those around us. Please note that I have no formal training in making these observations beyond a mediocre attendance record at Psychology 101 during college (note also that for this article I have typically used men to illustrate each example, but rest assured that there is no shortage of women who fit into each category).
A common type in the world of computers, the Know-it-all knows too much about the wrong things and not enough about how the world really operates. He is typically an indispensable employee (because nobody else really wants to do what he does) except that he doesn't understand a thing about design, so he has to keep his efforts focused on computers. He is great to have around if you can keep him busy formatting disks, plotting, translating DXF files and converting your computers over to Windows 95.
The type we all despised in high school, the All-American can make good use of a computer program right out of the box without anything going wrong and without ever looking at the manual. It seems that this type of person also is always talented at design, managing project budgets and schedules and working with clients. Make it attractive to keep him or her around or else accept the fact that they are going to be your competitor sooner than you think.
Not necessarily a function of age, the Deflector Shield never had to learn computers and has decided at some point that he never will. He writes specs from a stack of index cards he sorts by hand and passes on to the secretary for typing. He may be a perfectly productive and valuable member of your staff. Don't try to change his ways, either. It just won't happen.
The Curmudgeon knows how to work the computer and is willing to learn, but if you talk with him on the subject, he will always dwell on the parts and pieces that don't work. He loves to recall the story about the day his computer crashed and he had to do a couple of days' work over again, even if it was three years ago. He never says a word when things are going OK, but doesn't hesitate to let everyone know how often he has to clean the trackball on his mouse. He seems to have the biggest smile on his face when someone else's computer is having trouble.
Mostly found in principals and marketing directors, the Cowardly Lion loves to talk up a big show to potential clients about the technological prowess of the firm, but puts his tail between his legs if you ask him to put a new stack of paper in the printer. He is "too busy" to attend any training classes or learn anything beyond how to turn the computer on and off. You might not want to be around the office if he gets back from a presentation where he couldn't get his laptop to work.
The Power Ranger is the type of guy who can't wait until the next issue of PC World arrives in the office mail. He keeps his appointment calendar, Rolodex, to-do list and meeting notes on his PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and he makes lots of noise when he pulls it out so that everyone sees it on the table. He knows the exact version number of each program in the office, and he loves to troubleshoot. He will never have enough RAM, hard disk storage or megahertz, no matter how new his computer is (and makes sure everyone knows it). On the surface he may seem like an asset for a design firm. But be careful -- he may be too caught up in his own machines to pay much attention to other people's needs.
The Recreational User is addicted to solitaire, computer golf and "DOOM" but refuses to learn how to adjust the width of a column in a spreadsheet. If he stays late at the office, it's probably because he's trying to reach the next level of "Myst."
The very worst kind of office to work in these days is where the Pest is in charge of the firm's computer systems. He truly seems to have nothing else to do but hang around your desk and show you on your computer how he did something on his computer that you either: a) will never understand; or b) will never use. He has many annoying traits, including his habit of pointing on your monitor while talking, and every time he leaves your desk, you have to get out a tissue to clean the smudge marks off your screen. The Pest knows just enough to get into the guts of each computer's operating system and screw something up whenever he tries to fix it, and rarely does he ever walk away from a computer that is in better shape than when he came by to look at it.
The most valuable individual in today's typical design firm, Otto CAD knows AutoCAD inside and out. He even knows how to delete a layer from a drawing (much more difficult than it sounds), write LISP routines and set up a floor plan for the addition of attribute data. If someone needs to meet a deadline for a set of drawings, Otto CAD is "the man." This is normally not a problem, but an unwritten rule that firms seem to follow is that there can be only one Otto CAD for each firm.
Poison Pete is proof that computers are living organisms which can have unexplained reactions to individuals and their karma. He doesn't necessarily have a bad attitude, but he seems to always be the one with a crashed hard disk, a floppy diskette that can't be formatted, a sticky keyboard, a file that can't be found on the backup or a program which can't be installed. His voice mail never works, and he even causes the fax machine to jam when he walks by. Every office has a Poison Pete. It's just one of life's great mysteries.
In conclusion, the truth remains that there is no substitute for diversity in people, whether it's their personality or their orientation toward computers. At least for the foreseeable future, computers will remain so new, so crucial and so mysterious to our world that they will continue to bring out the best and the worst in all of us. Let's recognize that it's going to be much easier for the technology to change rather than the people who use it.
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