Interconnected Innovation

ASG Engineers Suna Sibi and Logan Metzger explain how ASG teamwork is like a geodesic dome.

Geodesic domes and spheres are built from geometric shapes that evenly distribute stress. Spaceship Earth in Disney’s Epcot is one example. So are structures you may have seen on playgrounds. At ASG, the geodesic dome is a symbol of the company’s structure and values. In this Q&A, ASG Engineers Logan and Suna talk about how the dome also represents their team’s way of working – both together and with clients.

What makes the ASG team like a geodesic dome?

LOGAN:  Just like the dome, all the components of our team are necessary, important and valued. Each component is tied to another. The structure is flat, not hierarchical.

SUNA:  We don’t see any single person as being superior or inferior to another. We work as interconnected units to achieve a unified goal as an organization. The dome is strong and can handle a lot of pressure because of the way it’s structured. It sustains itself because the pieces are interconnected and rely on one another.

Just like the dome, all the components of our team are necessary, important and valued.

How does the geodesic dome relate to the way you work with clients?

ASG Engineer Suna Sibi

LOGAN:  At ASG, we talk a lot about strategic thinking and systems approaches to issues. If you look at the dome, each piece is connected to several other pieces. We’re not just taking a single unit and saying, “This is the problem and this is the solution,” but rather looking at an opportunity or a problem as a whole and thinking about how it interacts with other components. We strive to approach a solution in that light.

SUNA:  The ASG geodesic dome has interconnected hexagons instead of triangles. I interpret that altered look as implying we don’t necessarily follow traditional means of fulfilling a client need. The client will define a need, but there’s a lot of flexibility in how we achieve that need because the client’s need is often changing. We often find things we didn’t expect to find.

What about how you work with each other?

LOGAN:  The geodesic dome has many interconnected components, and the ASG team works in a similar way. We have a commitment to each other as teammates to demonstrate respect and trust, hold each other accountable and value each other.

We work as interconnected units to achieve a unified goal as an organization.

Why do you like the dome?

ASG Engineer Logan Metzger

LOGAN:  Because it demonstrates the strength of interconnectedness. It gets its structural integrity from the connected components. It shows that subunits provide strength when they’re coordinated and working together. I also like that it represents a whole. It’s not a 2D object that’s just flat. It shows that we approach problems, individuals and solutions as a whole.

SUNA:  The blue makes me think of safety. The dome is a safe space for innovation. You can think however you’d like and explore. One of the values we strongly uphold is curiosity. The neat thing about the geodesic dome is that it’s a half-sphere, which makes me think about how our curiosity has no bounds. That’s the way we should think – always exploring different opportunities and feeling free to grow in whichever direction we desire.

What do you love most about your role?

LOGAN:  I like that it’s very rare that we have one person doing a single task. ASG provides its team members with a variety of tasks, roles and challenges. I talk to other team members to make sure they enjoy what they’re doing, and I ask them what they want to do. There’s little value in having people do a task they dislike because we’re in it not only to help our clients, but also to make sure all our team members are challenged and satisfied.

SUNA:  I love having to think on my feet so quickly and so often. That has helped me cope with working remotely right now. I can’t approach a problem as if there’s one solution. It’s multifaceted like the dome! One thing I wasn’t expecting to do when I first joined ASG was materials management and keeping track of parts of inventory. But I’ve grown to like it because it’s just one of many facets within this organization that allows me to interface and have a good understanding of what I’m fulfilling for the client.

Want to experience the geodesic dome yourself?

Read about ASG’s culture, services and team, and how we work with our clients.