What Makes Our Team Work?

Diversity Isn’t Just a Value at Dymaptic, It’s How the Team Solves Hard Problems

I want dymaptic to be a successful business. We do well when we help our clients do well. Every one of our clients is different (size, structure, industry, technology, etc.) and has different needs, even if they are solving similar problems. We meet each client where they are and provide the technology to get them to the next level. One of the key elements to doing that well, for every kind of client, is having a team that thinks in as many different ways as possible, and that starts with the diversity of the people at dymaptic.

A Snapshot of the Dymaptic Team

I feel a bit strange sharing these details about our company. I don’t want to share private information; we are small enough that even a small bit of information might reveal something about a particular individual. But, I asked, and the staff said I could share these things:

• We have 16 staff members (this includes myself and Mara, the CEO).
• Our management team consists of 6 people. 4 of them identify as women. (Don’t ever let anyone give you the excuse that there are not women in tech.)
• 9 of our staff identify as women.
• We identify as a variety of races and ethnicities, and some of us immigrated to the United States.
• Some members of our team are part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
• We have people of different beliefs, including religious and atheist perspectives.
• Some of us have worked our entire careers in the tech field, in GIS or Programming. Others ended up here from other places, including teaching (music and skydiving, among other things), construction, or working in nonprofits.
• We spend our time differently outside of work — as artists, makers, outdoor enthusiasts, travelers, etc.
• Some of us have kids, some of us have pets, some of us have both, and some of us have none.
• We have neurodivergence on our team. We find having all sorts of brains that process information differently all the more valuable when it comes to brainstorming and problem-solving.
• We cover a lot of different languages. Some of us only speak English, but our team also can speak Romanian, Polish, Spanish, and American Sign Language, to name a few.

The dymaptic team treats brainstorming as a team affair, both internally as well as in conversations with clients. No one person on the team can solve all problems at all times. As the saying goes, it takes a village. When a brainstorming session covers a greater variety of ideas, better and more creative solutions result. But how do we ensure a diversity of inputs when we’re thinking through how to solve a complex problem? In a word… diversity. (See what I did there? The word diversity is on both sides of the equation; diverse people yield diverse ideas which leads to the best solution.)

The impact of that diversity shows up in three concrete ways:

• Diverse backgrounds produce better brainstorming and more creative problem-solving
• From hiring to partnerships to client outcomes, diversity is central to how dymaptic operates
• More perspectives at the table means better brainstorming and stronger client outcomes

The people of dymaptic come from different parts of the country and different walks of life, each having taken a different path to get to where they are. We are different genders and different colors, value different things, have different family structures, different hobbies, eat different foods and have had different life experiences. It’s these differences that power us.

We embrace these differences, and we remain committed to diversity at dymaptic.

What Does That Commitment to Diversity Mean?

It means that diversity is important to dymaptic in hiring. We are continuing to build a team that can build the best solutions and that means hiring the best people. For me, as CTO, I don’t want to work with a technical team who all have the same background and ways of thinking that I do. I want to work with people who will challenge my ideas and bring new perspectives into our discussions. That’s where the magic happens. That’s how we come up with the best solutions for our clients.

It also means that dymaptic collaborates with other organizations that align with our values. Mara is an active member of Women in GIS and serves on the Expansion Advisory Board for Oregon Pride in Business (ORPIB). As part of the EDGE Alliance, dymaptic works to bring more diversity into the geospatial industry. We’re happy to put time and resources into these organizations that are working to improve our field.

What Does Dymaptic’s Commitment Look Like in Practice?

Our commitment to diversity is an essential part of how dymaptic operates, and that carries over into the work that we deliver. Sometimes, we have the opportunity to work on projects with a remarkable social impact — like our work with the Global Midwives Hub and the Sidewalk Equity application we built for the City of Houston Public Works Department, both of which are projects that we’re excited to keep building on. With every project though, we are always thinking about creating solutions that will positively impact the end users. The people. At the end of the day, I love building and applying new technologies in the service of building things that people can use. And I know that we’ll better understand how diverse people will interact differently with distinct tools if we ourselves can better relate to different experiences. Now I’ve come back full circle to where we started — more diversity of people means more diversity of thought which means better solutions and greater impact for our clients which means more success for the company. There you have it.

More diversity in the geospatial world is better for everyone, just as team diversity is what makes dymaptic work, and it’s central to how the team delivers better outcomes for clients. The more people that come together from different backgrounds and with different perspectives, the better the brainstorming and problem-solving. Diversity is something we value here, but it’s also a key part of how we operate.

Want to work with some great people that value diversity? Our team is here to brainstorm!