“Beam me up, Scotty!”, captain Kirk says into his handheld communication device. It’s just one of technologies Star Trek predicted with frightening precision. The crew of the spaceship Enterprise rarely had problems with letting their colleagues know they’re stuck on a hostile planet and need to be transported back, asap.
These brave people have showed us more than just mindblowing technical advances, though. There were also great examples of team communication, whether it happened between functions to keep the ship running daily, or under the extreme conditions when lives depended on it.
Despite clearly being skewed in terms of gender, race and cultural framework, Start Trek was a great attempt in demonstrating the challenges of leading a complex structure through everyday routine and critical periods by leveraging the power of a diverse team all operating as one, using processes and clear communication.
Tech company doesn’t have a daily fear of depressurising or being captured by the alien fleet. Communication for it is no less important, though. Just imagine, when you get this right, your sheep will accelerate to the warp-9 speed! To boldly go!
Insufficient facts always invite danger
Only a crew, that acts together like an orchestra playing an elaborate symphony, can withstand the danger. When Enterprise is apparently minutes away from being destroyed, captain Kirk bluffs shamelessly to buy time - and succeeds. "Not chess, Mr. Spock. Poker."
What’s more important, though, as the rest of the crew operating in perfect harmony. They know there’s no mysterious and highly dangerous ‘corbomite’ on board. They are afraid for their lives. But they trust the expertise and skill of their captain and chief officers. And it doesn’t occur to these officers to even ask Kirk if he’s gone mad (although it’s very in character for McCoy). They know captain has an idea and build their communication accordingly.
In a volatile world of tech companies, some external threats are as dangerous as an enemy spaceship. I’m not suggesting to bluff, my point here is that trusting each other and acting in sync builds strengthens team’s armour. There’s another take from this episode for business. In the end it turns out the deadly alien was a bored and too smart kid. So while you’re presenting a unified front to fight off the threat, part of your team should constantly look for infirmation. That way you assess it correctly and spend just enough resources to deal with it.
I'm a doctor, not an engineer
Doctor McCoy coined the phrase ‘[Dammit, Jim], I’m a doctor, not a…’ It’s a subject of countless memes and brought a lot of nostalgia to the fans in reboot movies. I’d argue that this saying is no less important in business context as well.
The delegation from Enterprise (where of course the captain and two chief officers are present - but they won’t get enough adventure otherwise!) arrives to a mining colony under attack of a mysterious creature. We assume it’s humanoid, so no one suspects a ‘molten rock’ to be the culprit. It’s a silicon life form, so when it comes to healing it, McCoy is thrown in the deep end, as his experience is humanoid-centred. Complaining about not being a bricklayer, doctor does his duty of helping every living creature and does it brilliantly.
Yes, this phrase can be a token protest and a complaint. In my opinion, it’s also a request for more information. Most tech companies have very loose job descriptions, so starting any position there does look like an expedition on the unknown planet. Doctor McCoy might be grumpy but he’s trained to deal with unexpected, can assess risks and trusts his team mates and officers. So it’s not so much what the position entails, it’s the safety network of reliable people and the culture that allows for mistakes, that’s most important to have in the tech company.
Where no [hu]man has gone before
Just as any story about space and aliens, Start Trek is about humans. It shows ups and downs of a huge and complex organism that is an organisation. The series demonstrate personal and professional growth, facing threats together and returning from the journey stronger and more robust than before.
These stories are also about communication. With team mates, subordinates and supervisors. With other life forms and same species from other planets. With counterparts in different functions with their own agenda and goals. Enterprise must navigate its way between them to survive. Balance interests and go for a confrontation when necessary. Same way tech companies do.
Obviously, the actors were never in danger, filming among sets on a limited budget. But they created the “strange new worlds… new life and new civilizations”, so sometimes it’s useful to ask your internal Captain Kirt what he’d do. You’re on your own discovery mission, after all!
