Collective Idea and the culture of calm

Since the beginning of the year, Collective Idea, a Holland, Michigan-based software development consultancy, has added eight software developers and designers to its team.  

That is no small accomplishment. Besides growing revenue to sustain eight new jobs, finding and hiring qualified, creative tech talent when seemingly every organization in the region is looking to add software developers and designers is very impressive.

Daniel Morrison, founder, says that although it's true that the market for software professionals is competitive, West Michigan technology firms are well positioned to compete on a national level for talent. "The software industry is a very competitive market right now nationwide. Silicon Valley can tempt people with high salaries, but we are easily competitive when you factor in our quality of life and low cost of living," he says.  

Morrison says that besides the relatively low cost of living and high quality of life in West Michigan, he also has purposefully created a culture where creative people can do great work and find the elusive work-life balance. "We have a culture of calm which is different from many startups, which can be manic," he says. "We work hard, but go home at night and take vacations. We are valuable to our clients because we do great work and don't burn out. We take care of our employees by offering a strong work-life balance, great benefits and investment in their continuing education." Recently the firm added a small fleet of bicycles for the team to use around Holland for trips to the lake or area restaurants and festivals.

Collective Idea's newest team members have come from all over the country with a variety of backgrounds of interests and talents. They include Dana Jones, Laura Mosher, Brianna Onken, Ray Brown, Mike Kopchick, Joshua Kovach, Ben Lambert, and Jon Stokes.  

Equally important to its culture, Morrison says finding the right fit and mix of qualified programming talent is essential. "Without a doubt, the more diverse people you have on a team, the better the team executes," he says. "Our industry skews heavily toward white males, so we're always excited when we can bring underrepresented groups into the mix. That said, we didn't do anything specific to hire women; we simply didn't limit ourselves to people who fit a stereotype."

Founded in 2005 by Morrison, Collective Idea creates innovative software experiences for multinational companies, small startups and everything in between for organizations around the country.

For more information at www.collectiveidea.com

Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor