Philosophy Matters
At Tamman, we are unabashed philosophers. While some might think this strange for a technology firm, we think it’s perfectly natural. The role of philosophy throughout the ages has been to question and to seek. If technology and automation lull us into a false sense of security, it is the role of questioning and embracing innate curiosity that excites us. Precisely because of this, we seek out clients, partners, and team members who are excited to explore the ‘why’ with us. This philosophical approach grounds us and provides added meaning to our work. Why? It’s because the greatest philosophers have never shied away from tackling the biggest (or smallest!) issues facing them, and neither do we. Never satisfied with the status quo, we want to know more, try again, figure out the questions, validate the assumptions and discover ways to grow personally and professionally. We consistently seek out the ‘why’ even after we’ve completed something. Through questioning, we ward off the complacency of step and repeat, step and repeat.
Whenever we post a job opportunity with Tamman, we ask a series of questions. ‘Have you truly mastered something in your life, either professionally or personally? Do you wish to better yourself and the people around you through retrospection, discussion, and action?’ These questions often catch people off guard. At first glance, they seem unrelated to our daily work: designing, coding, accounts payable, administrative tasks, etc. Deliberating on these kinds of questions and thinking thoughtfully about them is important to us. Future staff who can demonstrate a similar growth mindset are more likely to succeed with us. They inherently understand why we approach our work philosophically and are more likely to be a good fit for our team.
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Tamman is simply the fusion of the founder’s names; Jeff Tamburino and Mike Mangos. Like most philosophical approaches, what seems simple at first evolves, grows and becomes more nuanced and complex. Started in a basement as a pure break-fix IT firm in 2007, Tamman’s ‘why’ and philosophical roots started right at the outset. Knowing that there were other companies that did the same kind of work, Mike and Jeff sought to separate Tamman by instilling a sense of curiosity and depth in the work and with team members. They wanted to be a company that cared deeply and invested in the people they hired. In return, they sought to bring on colleagues who would seek to understand and improve themselves along the way.
Through questioning, we ward off the complacency of step and repeat, step and repeat.
– Tamman Wisdom –
Tamman’s founders are truly yin and yang of each other—offering balance and perspective—that carries over to our day-to-day work. Embracing the idea of change, or risks and growth, Tamman has embodied what the great philosopher Heraclitus meant when he taught us that change is the only universal constant, and a person can never step in the same river twice. Punctuated by the risks, successes, failures, and lives that have shaped and molded this quirky firm, Tamman embraces change–constantly. When it was time to rethink the business, Tamman was bold. We went out on a limb and transformed from an IT-specific firm into a software design and development agency tackling the issue of information as a human right. In the information age, we stand by the belief that no one should be cut off from information because of their use constraints, abilities or limitations. This inclusive ethos is now our core driving philosophy. No longer in a basement, we are proud to be headquartered in a beautiful workspace in Old City Philadelphia designing, developing, and deploying rich and robust applications, websites, prototypes, and data visualizations – all dedicated to building a more inclusive web for all.
Tamman continues to be a place grounded in a people-first mentality. It does not matter if they are the client being served with quality and conviction, the team member with professional development goals, or someone accessing a web-property built to include everyone. All are important and guide our approach to technology and the world around us.
If you are excited about this, then we cannot wait to work with you!
We are Tamman. Let’s build the Inclusive Web together.
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Podcasts
Episode 2: Radical Empathy
