New Culture Survival Guide for South West tech businesses

Workplace culture experts Interaction are partnering with Tech South West to create the region’s first culture guide for the sector.

The Bath-based firm, which works with tech brands across the South West, will conduct a deep dive into the cultural challenges technology firms face as they scale and adapt to new working models, resulting in the production of The Tech Business Culture Survival Guide. The guide will be available for free to all of Tech South West’s members.

Dieter Wood, Managing Director of Interaction, says: “With the UK technology sector expanding 2.6 times faster than the rest of the UK economy, it’s a critical time for ambitious technology organisations to get to grips with their workplace culture. New working models, high-pressure environments and skills shortages means a robust workplace culture should be at the heart of any tech business, especially a rapidly-scaling one.”

Led by a steering committee of some of Tech South West’s key members, Interaction will conduct quantitative and qualitative research to answer key questions such as:
• What creates a bulletproof workplace culture – and how do you keep that while you scale?
• What matters most when it comes to employee wellness?
• How do you balance the needs of the organisation with the needs of employees?
• What are the highest-calibre talent looking for from their place of work?
• How do you build collaboration and community while working remotely?
• How can you create environments that benefit a neurodiverse staff?
• What are some ways to ease cultural “growing pains”?

The Tech Business Culture Survival Guide will be a powerful tool, indispensable to forward-thinking tech businesses in the South West and beyond. From start-ups to established organisations, companies of all sizes will benefit from a detailed look at the way they work.

There will be no one-size-fits-all approach but armed with this insight, businesses can drive success by harnessing the power of their culture in a competitive market.The Tech Business Culture Survival Guide will be developed from a variety of sources. As well as surveys and questionnaires, Interaction and Tech South West will stream three digital panels with tech leaders, covering Wellness, Culture and Attracting and Retaining Talent. Learnings from the panels will be combined with wider market insight and research, and developed into a comprehensive guide for tech organisations of any size.

Interaction’s Head of Workplace Research and Strategy, Deborah Wilder says: “Throughout the pandemic we’ve been helping businesses engage with their people, and plan and implement hybrid working. Workplaces now need to work much harder to attract, support and bring together their people and this is something the tech community has heavily embraced. So we are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Tech South West to share our expertise and be part of this exciting initiative.”

Tech South West is run by tech companies and clusters including Digital Plymouth, TechSPARK, Digital Northern Devon, Software Cornwall, Digital Taunton, Tech Exeter, Engine Shed and Silicon South.

Dan Pritchard, Co-Founder of Tech South West says: “Tech leaders are making key decisions right now that will impact the success and culture of their organisations for years to come – where people work, how they communicate and collaborate and of course, the range of formal and informal support for people’s well-being and mental health. Organisational culture is the culmination of so many factors. With this in mind, we’re delighted to be teaming up with Interaction for this important work, to learn about what’s happening across the region’s tech sector, highlight best practice and share key learnings.”

To contribute and help shape the Tech Business Culture Survival contact mail@interaction.uk.com.