The Techie and The Non-Techie: Bridging the Gap at Work
When I was a software engineer, working with other software engineers, there was an implicit, shared understanding about technology and tools. We had to be persuaded to use some of it, sure (even the most techie among us can be resistant to change), but in general we knew what technology was new and why we would want to use it.
Now, I work at a nonprofit. It’s a technology nonprofit, so there are plenty of folks just as comfortable as anyone with whatever tools comes our way. But there is no common background among all of us, no shared understanding. There’s a gap, in other words, between the techies and the not-so-techies. With a wide range of work experiences and expertise, it’s more of a spectrum than a hard-and-fast gap, but it exists nonetheless.
The gap really became apparent to me when I set up a Wiki for my new department at my new job. I set it up when my boss said, “You know, I think a lot of people here don’t know who is on our team or what we work on.” With most project-based work at the organization done in offline documentation and small-group meetings, no wonder that was the case.
So I set up a Wiki to document and share the people on our team and what we’re working on. Back in Silicon Valley, a Wiki takes shape on its own: “This is how we share with one another. Go put stuff on it.” And we all implicitly understand the value and the reason behind the new tool.
The same message failed miserably at my nonprofit, though. In fact, since I set it up my first week, I’m the only one who has added content to it. Big fail on my part.
I think my next step is to write a set of explicit guidelines for when to use a Wiki and why it’s valuable. I’m not sure it will work, but I want to keep trying.
Do you experience a gap between tech and non-tech where you work? How do you handle it?
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