President of Unmanned Systems Division, Kratos Defense Security
Search every verified Steven Fendley interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a 2011 interview, Steven Fendley discussed the organizational culture at his company in Austin, Texas. He described the environment as "laidback" and noted that the company has tried to be flexible with work hours, maintaining core hours while allowing employees freedom in their schedules. Fendley stated that balancing freedom and structure has been a "constant area of change," as the company has sometimes found that too much freedom affected productivity. Fendley characterized the process of adjusting workplace policies as an "evolution" that changes continuously. He said that his earlier belief in a fixed, optimal structure had proven incorrect, and that the work environment shifts with each new hire or departure. He described managing this dynamic as "a study in human nature that's actually a fascinating and a frustrating part of a business."
“The environment in Austin, Texas is very laidback and people want the freedom to come in — some like to sleep in, some like to work early and leave early. We've tried to be flexible in that; we kind of have some core hours and want people to be here over a certain range of hours.”
“We want there to be a lot of freedom and we got a little too much freedom and we're not quite getting the work done the way that we need to — applying the structure is a balance: you want to be happy but at the same time you want enough structure to be able to be productive.”
“Changing how we operate has been a constant area of change because you're constantly kind of going back and forth between freedom and structure — it's an evolution.”
“If you'd asked me that question five years ago I'd have said we're going to have the structure and here's how it's going to work — that's the best way. It's not true; it's a continuous thing that changes every day.”
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