Episode 411: We have a secret org chart and I'm a big fish in a little pond
Digest
This episode of Sofskill's Engineering tackles two listener questions. The first question comes from a senior data scientist working at a startup founded by a large corporation. The listener describes a flat organizational structure with multiple management layers and a power struggle among middle managers. They struggle to adapt to this environment, especially given the remote nature of the company. The hosts discuss the challenges of navigating such a structure and suggest that the listener might need to speak directly to the CEO to address the issue. The second question comes from a listener working at a multinational company who feels they are ahead of their team in terms of industry standards. They are concerned about becoming the sole trainer for the team and the potential for a critical person risk when they leave. The hosts discuss the importance of finding allies and encouraging a culture of learning and growth within the team. They suggest that the listener could try to influence the hiring process to bring in more people who are interested in new technologies and efficiency. The hosts also offer practical advice on documenting work and creating processes to ensure knowledge transfer and reduce the critical person risk.
Outlines
Introduction
This Chapter introduces the Sofskill's Engineering podcast, a weekly advice podcast for software developers. The hosts, Dave Smith and Jameson Dance, discuss the challenges of navigating the complexities of C++ pointer operators and the tendency to rely on trial and error when working with them.
Navigating a Flat Hierarchy
This Chapter delves into a listener's question about navigating a startup with a flat hierarchy and an implicit power structure. The listener describes a company with multiple management layers, a power struggle among middle managers, and a lack of clear roles and responsibilities. The hosts discuss the challenges of this environment, particularly in a remote setting, and suggest that the listener might need to speak directly to the CEO to address the issue.
Critical Person Risk
This Chapter explores a listener's question about dealing with a team that is resistant to adopting new technologies. The listener describes a situation where they are significantly ahead of their team in terms of industry standards and are concerned about becoming the sole trainer for the team. The hosts discuss the importance of finding allies and encouraging a culture of learning and growth within the team. They suggest that the listener could try to influence the hiring process to bring in more people who are interested in new technologies and efficiency. The hosts also offer practical advice on documenting work and creating processes to ensure knowledge transfer and reduce the critical person risk.
Keywords
Sofskill's Engineering
Sofskill's Engineering is a weekly advice podcast for software developers. The podcast focuses on providing practical advice and insights on various aspects of software development, including technical skills, soft skills, and career development. The hosts, Dave Smith and Jameson Dance, offer their perspectives and experiences to help listeners navigate the challenges of the software development world.
Flat Hierarchy
A flat hierarchy is an organizational structure where there are few or no layers of management between the top and bottom of the organization. This structure aims to promote collaboration, communication, and decision-making at all levels. However, flat hierarchies can also present challenges, such as a lack of clear leadership, difficulty in managing large teams, and potential for conflict when there are no clear lines of authority.
Implicit Structure
An implicit structure refers to an informal or unspoken set of rules, norms, and power dynamics that exist within an organization. These structures can be just as powerful as formal structures, but they can also be more difficult to identify and navigate. Implicit structures can lead to confusion, conflict, and a lack of transparency within an organization.
Critical Person Risk
Critical person risk refers to the risk that a company faces when a single individual possesses critical knowledge or skills that are essential for the company's operations. If this individual leaves the company, it can create significant disruption and potentially lead to a loss of productivity or even a business failure. This risk is often associated with situations where there is a lack of knowledge transfer or a reluctance to train others.
Tyranny of Structurelessness
The Tyranny of Structurelessness is an essay written by Jo Freeman in 1970. The essay argues that even in groups that aim to be structureless and egalitarian, informal power structures and hierarchies inevitably emerge. This is because human interaction naturally creates patterns of influence and authority, even when there are no formal roles or titles.
Wow Ideas
Wow ideas are innovative or groundbreaking concepts that have the potential to significantly improve a product, service, or process. These ideas often involve adopting new technologies, implementing new strategies, or challenging existing paradigms. However, wow ideas can also be challenging to implement, especially in organizations that are resistant to change or lack the necessary resources.
Hiring Problems
Hiring problems refer to the challenges that companies face in finding and retaining qualified employees. These challenges can include a lack of qualified candidates, difficulty in attracting top talent, high turnover rates, and a mismatch between the skills of employees and the needs of the company. Hiring problems can have a significant impact on a company's productivity, innovation, and overall success.
Fitness Function
In machine learning, a fitness function is a mathematical function that measures the performance of a particular algorithm or model. The fitness function is used to guide the optimization process, which aims to find the best possible solution to a given problem. In the context of the podcast, the fitness function can be used to describe the priorities and values of individuals or teams, such as maximizing comfort or maximizing learning and growth.
Ducks
Ducks are a type of waterfowl that are known for their webbed feet, which allow them to swim efficiently. Ducks are also known for their quacking sound and their ability to fly. In the context of the podcast, ducks are used as a metaphor to represent individuals who are resistant to change or new ideas. The hosts use the image of ducks looking up at a meteor shower and then returning to their normal activities to illustrate how some people might react to new ideas or innovations.
Rube Goldberg Machine
A Rube Goldberg machine is a complex and elaborate contraption that performs a simple task in a very roundabout and humorous way. These machines are often designed to be whimsical and entertaining, and they typically involve a series of interconnected devices and actions. In the context of the podcast, the hosts use the image of a Rube Goldberg machine to describe the elaborate and unpredictable process that takes place in Jameson's house every time a question arrives for the podcast.
Q&A
How can I navigate a startup with a flat hierarchy and an implicit power structure?
The hosts suggest that you might need to speak directly to the CEO to address the issue. They recommend documenting specific examples of counterproductive behavior and presenting them to the CEO, emphasizing your desire to help the organization succeed. You could also propose an explicit hierarchy or organizational structure that would provide more clarity and direction.
How can I deal with a team that is resistant to adopting new technologies?
The hosts suggest that you could try to influence the hiring process to bring in more people who are interested in new technologies and efficiency. You could also document your work and create processes to ensure knowledge transfer and reduce the critical person risk. Additionally, you could try to create a situation that incentivizes the team to learn your new technologies, such as an on-call rotation.
Show Notes
In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:
Hi :-)
I work as a Senior Data Scientist, and about half a year ago I joined a start up that was founded by a large corporation. And while this job comes with the perks of a bigger company - like good salary, paid overtime, … , - it also comes with its organizational overhead and politics:
We are only about 30 people but already a quarter of us acts as managers. I write “act” because the official org chart is flat (with the CEO at the top and the rest of us directly underneath). The unofficial org chart is hidden and depending on who you speak with, you get their view point on how roles and responsibilities should look like.
As a result, I’m left with putting together the pieces to build a picture that somewhat resembles the truth. So far, I’ve concluded that we have multiple (!) management layers, that there’s a power war taking place in the middle management layer, and that you can make up your own titles that mean NOTHING, because no one has any official, disciplinary authority over any one, but that are still to be respected! What a great opportunity for job crafting :-D
To make things worse, I prefer and come from organizations that have a truly flat hierarchy. For example, I’m used to step outside of my role should the situation require it (like doing some managerial tasks, supporting sales, …) and that I can speak my mind, irrespective of what the title of the person is who I’m talking to. While this was beneficial in my previous positions, this does not work well here! And while I understand that adapting my behavior would be more in line with the company culture, I find this extremely difficult. On the one hand, because of the hidden org chart, on the other because we are all fully remote and I rarely see people from other teams.
To avoid accidentally stepping on anyone’s toes, my current solution is to stick my head in the sand and focus on my coding. However, this leaves me disgruntled because I feel like I’m not being myself, and that I’m withholding a viable part of my skill set: to see the bigger picture and serve the company as a whole instead of just implementing tickets.
Please help, I do not understand how this company works :’-D How would you navigate the situation? I don’t want to quit because, individually, my coworkers are super nice, and the work is really interesting.
All the best <3
Hi,
I’ve been working at a well-known multinational company for a few years now. The entire time I’ve been here, the company has been well behind what I believe to be industry standards, but they have some great perks, which means it’s been really easy for me to create “wow” ideas (just do the same thing that everybody else has been doing for a few years).
At the risk of sounding full of myself, I’ve noticed that I’ve created a critical person risk. There’s not only no push for me to train others in my work; things I thought were standard knowledge is entirely new to this team! I don’t want to become the trainer for a team that has no desire to learn new skills, and I don’t want to dumb down my work either. Is there a happy medium where I can build exciting new things and not create an absolute craphow when I leave? Should I even care about it since no one else does?
Show Notes
- The Tyranny Of Structurelessness - https://www.jofreeman.com/joreen/tyranny.htm
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