Building a culture of builders with no-code/low-code

Give power to the people. Democratize the power of software. Increase accessibility to tech in the workforce.

Organizations around the world are struggling to find unique ways to help their less-tech-savvy employees step outside their comfort zones and move into spaces that would otherwise feel off limits to them.

With little to no coding skills, employees can feel powerless in changing how they work. After waiting for a developer or an IT specialist to hear them out, these tech-savvy employees will likely build a bandaid fix or start a long process of buying a rigid, expensive software that doesn't quite meet their needs.

Daniel Lereya, VP R&D and Product at monday.com. Photo: Nethaniel Tobias

The worst part? Whatever solution they offer, there’s a good chance it’ll become obsolete in six months when the employee’s goals and workflows become more complex and they need something more robust to meet them. Which brings them back to square one, unable to move their work forward and make a business impact.

So how can companies bring down this barrier of entry and empower a successful integration of all employees into a digital-first workforce, regardless of their coding abilities?

The best way to build an empowered culture of tech actually lies in the type of tech a company uses. Choosing work software that offers both no-code and low-code capabilities can be a huge step in helping companies move toward inclusion.

No-code capabilities

If you’ve ever made a Wix or Webflow website, you know there’s no coding required. That’s because they’re no-code platforms. With simple drag and drop building blocks, anyone can build a functional, and even award-winning website.

These no-code platforms are essential to give people ways to not only feel tech-savvy, but actually become builders — turning their strategy into workflows and data sets into actionable insights. With no-code as the grand equalizer, anyone can build customizable solutions and shift traditional power dynamics, in just a few clicks.

Low-code capabilities

Low-code platforms’ visual and robust functionality allows those with minimal coding skills to build game-changing apps and solutions; moving the needle on business agility, without a degree in computer science or coding from scratch.

While no-code is accessible to the masses and can help employees build just about any workflow with intuitive automation and integrations, there will always be apps that require some coding. Low-code capabilities let no-code builders take new solutions as far as they can, giving them access to add-on capabilities that boost what they can accomplish autonomously. Then, if they want to really take it to the next level, low-code builders can swoop in to bring them across the finish line. The ultimate tech assist, that will have your whole org cheering.

Why tech empowerment requires both

So far, no-code and low-code platforms seem like great ways to shift the power of organizational change into the hands of any employee. But finding work software that does both — bringing your talent to the table and offering each of them a chair that suits them — is important to make tech truly inclusive for everyone.

But not all no-code/low-code tools are created equal, or should I say continuous. Many platforms offer no-code capabilities which are entirely disconnected from their low-code capabilities, making it difficult for no-code and low-code builders to work collaboratively. That being said, there are some platforms whose no-code capabilities can seamlessly connect with the low-code side capabilities.

Here are a few reasons why having a integrated no-code/low-code platform provides an added layer of accessibility, empowerment, and collaboration to your organization:

1. Give autonomy to employees

At the rate that the world of business is growing, there will never be enough developers. Instead of endlessly headhunting coders, enable existing employees to customize their work software, their way. After all, they know their workflow challenges best. This is your opportunity to upskill them, by giving them the tools and autonomy to build solutions that truly meet their needs.

2. Create in-house feature updates

With a low-code software, your teams can always be in fluid feedback loops with your development teams. Instead of waiting and wishing for your external platforms to build the features you desperately need, your in-house builders can easily create the specific capabilities you need in less time. Plus, you have a personal one-on-one connection with them, if and when adjustments are required.

3. Make apps your organization’s superpower

This framework allows developers to spend less time building niche features, and instead create apps that can be used across multiple teams, further breaking down the barrier between developers and non-developers. With each department customizing pre-built apps instead of coding similar functionality from scratch, your company gains the superpower of both collaboration and efficiency.

4. Build an empowered workplace

Creating a centralized no-code/low-code workspace can help you foster transparency, ownership, and accountability — company values many organizational leaders are always looking to build into their culture. Most of all, it removes previous friction and dependencies, allowing the organization to run fast and finally take control of how they work.

Tech is a superpower. Having a continuous no-code/low-code platform gives that power to everyone—to create company-wide work solutions they build with their own typing hands.

The result? An unstoppable workforce — solving even their greatest tech challenges themselves, all while collectively moving the needle and working in the same direction.

Daniel Lereya is VP R&D and Product at monday.com