Codebreaking, Problem-Solving, and Finding Diverse Talent

Cybersecurity expert Robert Hannigan’s new book—Counter-Intelligence: What the Secret World Can Teach Us About Problem-Solving and Creativity—draws from the rich history of codebreaking at Bletchley Park and provides fascinating lessons about talent identification, the value of multidisciplinary perspectives, and the importance of diversity of all kinds. Here, Robert answers a few questions about his new book.

Cover of "Counter-Intelligence: What the Secret World Can Teach Us About Problem-Solving and Creativity"

Source: Robert Hannigan, used with permission

What did you learn from the history of codebreaking about talent identification?

Robert Hannigan: You have to be prepared to take some risks and not be straight-jacketed by a recruitment process. At Bletchley Park, they had some idea of the kinds of skills and the range of experience they might need. But there were no clear job specifications; the jobs—for example, building and running the world’s first digital computers—were being invented in real-time.

There was a lot of guesswork and, of course, in wartime, they had to make do with whoever was available, those who were not fighting on the front line. That is partly why 76 percent of the workforce was female and predominantly young.

Among them were some amazingly unusual and eccentric individuals, who we would probably see as neurodiverse in modern terms. So there are also lessons in how to get the best from people who may not present as a perfect fit for the job.

But through all this, Bletchley, and later GCHQ, prioritized an inquisitive mindset, one that enjoyed puzzles and problems. And they put huge effort into recruiting—they did not delegate this to others: they knew that people were the heart of the organization and the key to technology.

What is the value of multidisciplinary perspectives?

RH: Bluntly, different ways of looking at a problem make it easier to crack. That sounds obvious, but it’s difficult to achieve and difficult for large organisations to systematize.

There are some examples in the book from the modern intelligence world as well as Bletchley Park of how particular neurodiverse conditions may be a huge asset. But the real value comes from mixing these different types, backgrounds, and perspectives in a single team.

Diversity has got a bad reputation recently and has become tediously bureaucratic, imposing its own conformity. The diversity of perspectives and types at Bletchley was extraordinary, but it was not something they set out to achieve.

What is interesting in the modern context is how powerful different backgrounds and experiences can be. Even age matters: Young mathematicians and engineers involved in some of these great breakthroughs simply didn’t realise that these were regarded as "impossible" problems. They came with profoundly open and energetic minds. But all these differences present management and leadership challenges; they require patience and the ability to be comfortable with some degree of chaos and challenge.

Alisa Maxwell / Codebreaker at Bletchley Park

Source: Wikimedia Commons, public domain

What are some effective ways we can diversify the tech workforce?

RH: We need to extend opportunity to the widest possible pool of talent, which means reaching those groups who haven’t been reached yet. Much of this depends on our education system.

Why do we associate tech skills with standard academic curricula when we know that many brilliant tech employees found their traditional schooling difficult? How do we tackle the cultural problems that seem to deter young women—at least in the UK—from tech jobs once they reach their teenage years?

How can we re-skill those in mid-career who may have missed out on technology at school but enjoy it and have an aptitude? Have we really created enough of the right career pathways for tech skills, based on the skills we actually need and want? Finally, we shouldn’t neglect existing staff, whether formally in tech or not; there may be aptitude, talent, and enthusiasm we haven’t tapped.