Ask HN: Interview tomorrow – How to learn whether an org is “healthy”?

Re:Ask HN: Interview tomorrow – How to learn whether an org ... by kognate on Thursday July 21, 2016 @10:53AM (#12137239)

I would ask them what, specifically, within the organization itself failed w/r/t the manager being replaced and what has the organization changed to prevent the same thing from happening in the future.

For example, did they not evaluate the manager before putting them into a position where they failed? How do they know it was a communication problem? Remember, this question is not asking the details of what happened (those don't really matter). This question is asking what the organization did and how does the organization improve itself over time.

The last thing I'll say is that it's very difficult to establish the 'health' of a team during a brief interview. 'Health' is often variable in that what I find healthy and effective you may not. Most teams aren't filled with psychopaths. Also, if you have the right tools and a willing team you (that's a plural you) can change and build a team that is healthy and productive.

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Re:Ask HN: Interview tomorrow – How to learn whether an org ... by pns on Thursday July 21, 2016 @01:54PM (#12138679)

It's interesting in these situations to see the outgoing manager's departure as much as a failure of that manager as of the organization itself. I think you're exactly right to be diagnosing why the manager didn't work out as an org issue itself.

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Re:Ask HN: Interview tomorrow – How to learn whether an org ... by bipson on Friday July 22, 2016 @05:18AM (#12142523)

I would say that "changing and building a team" is not as easy as a lot of people think. I saw a company replace their employees multiple times, yet their culture could never be changed, thus every team constellation was set to fail like a cruise missile.

Once a organisational culture is set, it is very difficult to change [1], especially if you can't replace the head of the beast.

[1] Team Geek - A Software Developer's Guide to Working Well with Others, Brian W. Fitzpatrick, Ben Collins-Sussman

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Re:Ask HN: Interview tomorrow – How to learn whether an org ... by mud_dauber on Thursday July 21, 2016 @11:50AM (#12137638)

Here's the twist: I know the outgoing manager & worked with him, albeit briefly, ~8 yrs ago. Liked him but didn't know enough. The tech leads that called me also worked with him before - hence his getting hired.

So, something's changed. Just trying to understand what.

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