The UK’s IT sector is full of budding Mark Zuckerbergs, according to research undertaken by IT recruiter Randstad Technologies.
The interactive quiz, which matches tech professionals’ personalities to famous entrepreneurs in the sector, revealed that more than a third of IT workers across the UK (37 per cent) share key personality traits with the Facebook founder.
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Aside from the dominance of the Zuckerberg personality type, the quiz also revealed that just 5 per cent of tech professionals act like tech entrepreneur Lord Sugar.
Ruth Jacobs, managing director at Randstad Technologies commented: “People have a lot of pre-conceptions about Mark Zuckerberg, something that the release of The Social Network five years ago did little to dispel.
However, he has many fantastic leadership qualities, qualities that have helped him to build an outstanding management team he can delegate to.
“Being able to take a step back and allow people to work through problems themselves is an essential attribute in successful management. The fact his personality type dominates in the UK’s IT industry is great news for our booming tech sector which needs leaders who are able to combine technical brilliance and emotional intelligence to provide relevant and useful products for both industry and the consumer.
“The findings suggests people working in the UK’s core tech hubs possess the imagination, drive and leadership qualities that are required to develop disruptive new technologies.”
Randstad Technologies ran the tech personalities online questionnaire in November and December 2015. Participants could be identified with the following personality types including Lord Sugar, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Marissa Mayer, Bill Gates, and Susan Wojcicki.
The Zuckerberg personality type is also predominant across core tech hubs such as Silicon Gorge in the South West; Silicon Roundabout in London and the eastern end of the M4 Corridor. Known for his inquisitive mind and drive to invent, the entrepreneur was just 12-years-old when he used an Atari BASIC to create his own messaging programme, which he dubbed “Zucknet.”
Lord Sugar may now be best known as the no-nonsense autocrat on The Apprentice, but he is also one of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs. Starting out as a general importer/exporter and wholesaler, his company AMSTRAD was a key player in the early computer industry and achieved a peak stock market valuation of £1.2bn. Sugar later went on to stabilise the finances at Tottenham Hotspur during 10 years as club chairman.
“Although he has always appeared to be more focussed on traditional selling than creating great technology and chasing a good profit rather than creating a good product, it is difficult to argue with Lord Sugar’s success. He might not be a tech purist like Steve Jobs, but Lord Sugar is an outstanding businessman.
“The fact that technology professionals are not mimicking his style might be good for all of us as contestants on The Apprentice know only too well, a boardroom grilling by Lord Sugar is an uncomfortable experience,” added Jacobs.
