Hackers and hipsters may be behind the innovative success of today’s startups, but established companies require different skill sets.

It’s becoming obvious to the startup world that entrepreneurial teams based on the corporation’s typical structure work poorly. The idea that a team should be made up of representatives from contributing divisions (such as marketing, sales, and engineering) is being replaced by the notion of bringing together a hacker, a hustler, and a hipster. The thinking is that the hacker creates rapid prototypes, the hustler engages customer feedback to capture users, and the hipster frames beautiful user interfaces and brings important connections to the team.

Although this team structure is well suited to startups working on a blank canvas, it ignores the unique challenges faced by companies with established products and services. Consider the case of Caterpillar in the development its 336E H hydraulic hybrid excavator.

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