Gauging workplace sensitivity

I attended an internal demonstration session that showed employees a new extranet e-commerce website our organization developed ....for the world to use.

I suggested a small thing which apparently had been intensely discussed in planning meetings. Great controversy with our IT dept. So great, that the lead person from IT, walked out of the room shortly after I made my suggestion. I understood that it was an offense to him later...because the website won an award. (Probably in the IT world.)

But I never knew since I wasn't part of the product development team nor part of the user test group.

Meanwhile everyone else in the room thought it was great I spoke up.

I'm not so sure I want to be known for maverick suggestions. When really, it was a tiny (but important) change to enhance web site usability.

Not knowing organizational sensitivities can be a drag.

I agree. It's also very personal. What one person finds offensive or disturbing, someone else may be fine with. I have an employee who is wonderful, but her biggest issue is that she is super sensitive and takes offense to everything. It makes it really tiresome to work with her, especially because most of the things she takes offense to are not being done maliciously or meant to offend.

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

I'm not so sure I want to be known for maverick suggestions.

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We were just talking yesterday about how the mavericks are so often the ones who turn out to be, not just right, but really right. Only we don't always know that until 20 years later. A business that wants to continue to be successful should probably honor and nurture its mavericks.

Without that sort of environment, though, who would want to be a maverick, even if it turns out you were right? Even a year is a long time to wait to say "told you so".

Being guilty of foot-in-mouth disease, sometimes delivery is the issue.

A "Great" web site, ad campaign, or paper among the technical (like minded) group isn't necessarily the correct format for a different audience, or even the target audience.

Often if one is enthusiastic about a topic it is hard to keep your emotions from becoming involved - whether you're on the sending on the receiving end.

Yes, emotion influencing the recipient or messenger delivering info. about the product can have a big impact.

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A "Great" web site, ad campaign, or paper among the technical (like minded) group isn't necessarily the correct format for a different audience, or even the target audience.

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+1 so true, at times.

Sometimes a product is wildly popular, like the iphone and iPad where the target user is just thrilled.

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

Sometimes a product is wildly popular, like the iphone and iPad where the target user is just thrilled.

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Remember the Newton, Apple's first foray into a tablet? Yeah, that one wasn't wildly popular. It took a second try to get it right.

Tech folks should be thankful when regular people point out potential issues with real-world use of their inventions. Better YOU provide input than an angry customer.

Sounds like the guy has an ego problem.