Description
Book SynopsisBusiness managers (suits) and technology professionals (geeks) have become warring camps in too many companies. While both groups have no trouble following the lingo of their own specialties, when they have to communicate with each other, neither side fully understands — or wants to understand — the other. And that's a big problem in an increasingly technology-dependent business environment where success depends on the smooth integration of both business savvy and technological expertise. Bill Pfleging — a respected computer and Web consultant — and Minda Zetlin — a veteran business writer — explore, in this insightful, witty, and very instructive book, the culture clash that pervades nearly every business-technology interaction. The Geek Gap provides members of both camps a practical guide to working together effectively. Using many real-world examples, the authors vividly illustrate the consequences in time, money, careers, and even lives when these separate cultures fail to communicate. The authors provide practical solutions for building trust between business and computer professionals. The book is filled with tips aimed at geeks and suits to help each group understand the other, communicate in what amounts to a foreign language, and get what they need to do their jobs effectively. The authors profile companies and individual executives who have successfully bridged the gap by conducting events that bring the two groups together, switching jobs from one area to the other, creating whole new careers as "go-betweens," and much, much more. This is the first book to directly address issues of communication and understanding between business and technology people. The Geek Gap — in identifying this problem and providing numerous practical and workable solutions — is an indispensable guide for all.
Table of ContentsPreface; Foreword; Introduction; The Elephant in the Corner; What Is the Geek Gap?; A Brief History of the Geek Gap; Geeks Gain Legitimacy; Who's to Blame for the Dot-Com Bust?; Fundamental Differences; Gripes about Geeks; Gripes about Suits; Geeks "Grep" Suits "Potentialise": Why We Don't Speak the Same Language; Cybercrime: When Geeks Seek Revenge; Ping-Pong versus PowerPoint; Outsourcing the Geek Gap; Same Bed, Different Dreams; Closing the Geek Gap; The Future of the Geek Gap; Index.
