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First of its kind study from Center for Technology & Workforce Solutions, CompTIA and WorkXO explores characteristics of the tech workplace  

Washington, D.C. – A first of its kind examination of the cultural “DNA” of the technology industry reveals a workplace where a collaborative spirit tends to outweigh titles, stature and tenure; relationships are leveraged to get things done; and individuals feel their work is impactful and meaningful.

“Mapping the Tech Industry’s Culture DNA” is a collaborative study conducted by the Center for Technology & Workforce Solutions, a think tank dedicated to both expanding and diversifying the technology workforce; CompTIA, the world’s leading technology industry association; and WorkXO, a leading-edge workplace culture analytics firm.

“Because the U.S. tech industry is so expansive – encompassing the well-known Fortune 500 bellwethers to the hundreds of thousands of small tech businesses around the country – there are many variants of corporate culture” said Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO, CompTIA. “This study is a snapshot of the industry, with an understanding that the findings are not intended to be perfectly representative of any single firm."

The survey of 1,400 technology professionals identifies five cultural behaviors that show up more frequently in the tech workplace than in other industries.

• Creativity permeates the tech workplace.
• There’s a willingness and ability to pitch in and help one another.
• Tech professionals feel their work has a meaningful purpose, makes an impact and speaks to their passion.
• There is a focus on relationships, how strong they are and how to leverage them to get things done.

“The importance of workplace relationships in getting things done is something that is particularly unique to the tech industry; something that we’ve not found in similar studies of other industries,” noted Charlie Judy, president of WorkXO.

The study also identifies five behaviors likely to have the biggest impact on employee engagement, productivity and growth for tech professionals.

“If tech companies had to place a bet on high-impact behaviors to create an organizational culture that more people would gravitate to, these are the areas to pursue,” said David Hyman, president of the Center for Technology & Workforce Solutions.

1. Help professionals integrate their work with their lives. Mitigating the demands and stresses of work can result in a workforce that’s more mindful, healthy and productive.
2. A commitment to understanding the unique needs, interests, motivators and aspirations of the individual employee can have a positive impact on culture and performance.
3. Individuals should be encouraged (and maybe even incentivized) to put aside their “pride of ownership” and to focus more on the group’s contribution. Celebrations of progress and success should be based on collective accomplishments.
4. Find opportunities to invest in effective tools, programs, policies and resources that will give tech professionals the professional and personal skills they didn’t have before coming into the organization.
5. Make sure that each and every individual in the organization understands the core strategy of the business so they understand their role in implementing that strategy.

“One of the many things we’ve learned while working with organizations across the globe is that like human beings, each workplace is distinct and unique,” WorkXO’s Judy said. “For any organizations the first step toward optimizing workplace culture begins with a frank and honest assessment of what’s happening in a workplace, what’s not, what works and what doesn’t.”

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About the Center for Technology & Workforce Solutions (CTWS)
CTWS is a 501c(3) dedicated to finding solutions that create technology career opportunities for all Americans, regardless of background or education level. CTWS partners with industry, educators, government leaders and non-profits to grow the tech workforce.  https://www.ctwsolutions.org/.

About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $4.8 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the more than 35 million industry and tech professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the world’s economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for advancing the tech industry and its workforce. https://www.comptia.org/

About WorkXO
WorkXO is a workforce technology and analytics firm focused primarily on empowering leaders with the business intelligence they need to get and stay intentional about managing their workplace cultures. We are a wholly owned subsidiary of QuestionPro, a global survey-analytics firm. https://www.workxo.com/

Lana Sansur                                                                                            
Center for Technology & Workforce Solutions
[email protected]
301-978-1772                                                                                       

Jenny Huang
WorkXO
[email protected]
254-630-5250

Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
[email protected]­
630-678-8468