IoT / Hardware-Software
Kolbe-led team dynamics for a remote-first IoT scale-up
A remote-first IoT scale-up needed to keep its engineers engaged through the unglamorous build-to-BAU transition — and prepare its culture for the next wave of hires.
- Client
- Silicon Valley IoT startup
- Service
- Kolbe / People Practice
- Stage
- Growth-stage
01
The challenge
- —Engineers losing motivation as projects shifted from build to maintenance
- —Remote work straining communication across time zones and languages
- —Imminent hiring spike risked diluting culture before it was fully formed
02
Our approach
01
Kolbe assessments
Ran Kolbe across the company to map conative strengths and predict friction points.
02
Team seminar
Delivered a 2–3 hour seminar at the all-hands, then worked with each team on their combined strengths profile.
03
Build-to-BAU coaching
Reframed maintenance work to suit the team's instincts, surfacing ownership rather than imposing process.
03
Outcomes
- ✓Higher-than-typical engagement from a technology team
- ✓Conative cloning in the team identified — explaining smooth collaboration but also blind spots
- ✓Hidden friction (timezone information flow, scheduling) surfaced and addressed
- ✓Cultural foundation strong enough to absorb planned hiring
Takeaway
"Conative similarity makes teams feel aligned — but it can also hide the problems no one is wired to raise. Diagnostics matter most when things look fine."
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