A team is a team, right? Well, that’s what I thought too until I started leading analytics teams. And then I realized it’s not that simple. Analytics teams are different. Not just in what they do, but in how they work, how they think, and how they survive in corporate environments that weren’t built for them.
I’ve worked with and in analytics teams of all shapes and sizes. From the lone unicorn who does everything from tagging to storytelling (myself), to 30-person setups with dedicated roles for engineering, insights, optimization, and even privacy. The structure varies, but the core challenge stays the same: these teams are fragile. And not because they’re weak, but because they’re often misunderstood.
Let me explain.
Most people in analytics didn’t plan to end up here. They studied psychology, mathematics, design, linguistics, anything but “analytics.” They landed in this field because they love solving puzzles. And analytics is full of puzzles. Missing data, weird traffic spikes, dashboards that don’t match source data, and stakeholders asking for “just one more iteration.” It’s a constant stream of problems that need fixing, interpreting, and translating into something useful.
And here’s the thing: most of these puzzle-solvers are neurodivergent. Not all, of course, but many. They think differently, process differently, and work differently. They’re brilliant at spotting patterns and connecting dots, but they struggle in environments that are loud, chaotic, and rigid. Open-plan offices? A nightmare. Constant Teams notifications? Disruptive. Meetings that could’ve been emails? Don’t get me started.
Corporate culture has evolved a bit, flex hours, remote work, no more mandatory suits, but it’s still built around a “one-size-fits-all” model. And that model doesn’t fit analytics teams. These people need quiet. They need autonomy. They need to work when their brains are switched on, not when the calendar says it’s time. And they need space to recover. You can’t solve puzzles for eight hours straight, five days a week, without burning out.
I’ve seen it happen. Brilliant minds, drained by noise, meetings, and expectations that don’t match how they function. And once they burn out, it’s hard to bring them back. They disengage, they leave, or they just stop caring. And that’s a loss no dashboard can measure.
So what can we do?
As leaders, we need to adapt. Not force them to fit into the system, but shape the system around them. Give them quiet zones. Let them work odd hours if that’s when they’re productive. Protect their focus time like it’s sacred. Stop measuring performance by hours and start looking at outcomes. Create psychological safety where it’s okay to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and admit uncertainty. And invest in their growth. These teams need time to learn, experiment, and stay ahead of the curve.
Analytics teams are fragile, yes. But they’re also powerful. They’re the ones who help us make sense of complexity, spot opportunities, and avoid costly mistakes. If we support them properly, they’ll thrive. If we don’t, we’ll lose them and with them, the insights that drive our decisions.
This isn’t theory. It’s what I’ve seen, learned, and tried to live. And if you’re leading or supporting analytics teams, I hope it helps you see them a little differently.
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Photo by Catrin Johnson on Unsplash
For a lot of old style managers, this is most likely additional effort they try to avoid. But seeing colleagues as human beings and not as a working bee is the only way how to attract talents in the analytics industry.