Meet the Dinosaurs

Now the we have an understanding of the world in which tech world dinosaurs exist and some of the potential challenges and opportunities we should be considering in this respect, let’s consider the players and get a feeling for how these various groups behave and interact both between each other and with technology itself before meeting them each in turn.

It is important to recognise that the three main dinosaur groups work to collate the general mindset within a large demographic, within each of the groups there are of course various species – not all dinosaurs will behave just as you expect, serving to further complicate the landscape and environment in which we exist.

The core groups to understand however are a good starting point, these are Herbivores, Omnivores and Carnivores.

Each group has a core set of defining characteristics in how they see, understand and interact with technology. Understanding these will dramatically change the responses you receive when discussing potential technology adoption with various internal audiences.

Interactions

The other thing to consider is the interactions between each of the groups. If you’re a Herbivore and working with a team of Carnivores, you need to understand how they see the challenge in front of you as a team and frame their solutions.

Likewise, if a Carnivore truly wants to get their way but the boss and decision maker is a Herbivore they need to frame their request and suggestions in a way that maximises the potential for success which is inherently different to how they themselves would tackle the scenario.

Understanding the mindsets and motivations of the dinosaurs in your environment is key to not only survival and success, but in many cases it helps to create a positive and healthy workspace.

The more people are socially aware of their surroundings and the people they share their workspace with, the easier it is to collaborate and share creative energies, all of which lead to stronger performance and cohesion.

The real challenge here is not in picking your dinosaur or making yourself fit into a box or even allocating a box for everyone around you, but rather to acknowledge the mindsets and characteristics of the people around you.

Understanding these mindsets are what allow you to align your ambitions and thoughts in a manner that not only makes sense to those you are lobbying with, but also give you the greatest chance for success as you are speaking a language they understand and framing your request(s) in a manner that allows them to both identify with and buy into your idea.

Technology

Where it starts to get really interesting is when you throw technology into the mix.

We are naturally conditioned to accept a certain level of technology – we have grown up using it, it permeates our daily interactions and these things are just a part of how we ‘exist’. This base tech is constantly evolving though – some generations consider a smartphone as basic tech, others think a TV is cutting edge.

When you have to manage a common environment where all generations need to be able to collaborate across a common tech platform you need to not only ensure that the technology is right for your team’s requirements, but that you team is ready and able to unilaterally adopt and utilise the technology you are providing them.

This is where understanding the dinosaurs and their mindsets becomes not just an advantage but a difference maker to your success.

You want to roll out a new tech platform for the team?

Will they embrace it or run from it? Will the Herbivores accept the change or simply disregard the change?

Omnivores can be a big game changer in these aspects as they can naturally engage with both Carnivores and Herbivores to provide common ground in such scenarios – it is worth evaluating your teams and looking for internal champions that can help to validate and reinforce these projects.

Your Dinosaur mindset

If you’ve ever been in a scenario where a new messaging or file sharing solution was implemented, think back – did you embrace it or did you throw up roadblocks?

Did you help others understand benefits you saw or did you ignore them and leave them to their own devices if they were struggling?

This is all a part of your dino characteristics and you will see traits in the various species that you identify with as we get to know them each in turn.