Deltek has a culture of fear. believe the root of this is the combination of the “original” Deltek and the “new” Deltek over the past 5 years. The original was a family run business, most employees are accounting experts with little experience at other software companies. We were attracted to Deltek because of the family-run business atmosphere. We all worked together. Our product lines were siloed (GCS, Vision and Costpoint were all in different units), so working at Deltek felt like a mini business focused on a specific set of customers. The original Deltek-ers catered to the customers we knew. Many of us even worked for customers prior to joining the company But we also didn’t pursue new business aggressively. We also didn’t have a grasp of modern technology or how to build great software (just ask any customer who’s supported Costpoint or employees who use the Time & Expense app. Engineering is by far the weakest link in the company). And traditionally, the business didn’t invest in strong talent, systems, or other things you need to build a great business.
The “new” Deltek started with New Mountain Capital, Kevin Parker (CEO), and the upper management that came on board. Some of these new folks have really turned things around, notably the CFO who righted the ship and the EVP sales, who is fantastic. The new Deltek people are software people, not accounting experts. They were frustrated by the lack of software knowledge at the original Deltek. They were impatient at times with the old way of doing things. They also hired a slew of other highly paid directors and VPs, making a lot of the original Deltek people wonder why they were passed over. Some of the new people are just plain rude, unfortunately.
The clash was inevitable and never really resolved, and the execs’ management style reflected an inability to take risk, to take control, to lead. The rank-and-file are terrified to make a mistake. Our executives on the mgt. team, in confidence, will sometimes confide that they are frustrated with the environment of fear. I saw a lot of witch hunts.
My advice to people coming into the company is to go in with eyes wide open. Ask about the culture, and specifics about the path to advancement. Be skeptical what HR will tell you, however, since they are a necessary ‘mask’ for the culture described on postings on this site and for some inappropriate behavior of favored employees.
