Team Building Essentials

Collaboration between diverse people in a single team has led to some of the best and most innovative solutions within the workforce over the past few decades. But diverse teams are a double-edged sword in that they are prone to “obstacles and face resistance,” according to a recent Harvard Business Review article. These challenges are highlighted by over 40 years of research pointing to the challenging reality that, although diversity is essential to innovation, teams will self-destruct without a shared vision. As we have highlighted several times, corporate culture is an essential part of the hiring process. This is because of how it shapes the shared vision and values of diverse talent. Harnessing this double-edged sword can lead to great results, but, without a strong corporate culture to build from, talent won’t mean much.

Diversity, Differences, and Conflict

Simply stated, the diversity-innovation paradox highlights how diverse groups working together (typically in research, but in translatable ways to corporate settings) create innovative solutions. Intuitively we understand this. We have all experienced how a simple shift in perspective presents a solution to a problem that once seemed unsolvable, and bringing on talented people with different backgrounds and approaches is a great way to gain insights into the overlooked.

But we are also creatures of habit, and as wonderful as buzzwords like high-performing, diversity, and innovation are, we do not always like it when someone rocks the boat or moves outside of the scope of “how we’ve always done things.” This can be seen in how career progression plays out for staff who bring diverse perspectives to their team. This disparity is often what leads to driving your high-performing teams apart over time.

Find Your Common Cause

When you are searching to add new talent to your team, one of the best things you can do is see if a potential hire is drawn to your corporate vision. Diverse talent produces the best results when working towards a common cause. Each person may bring a different perspective to the table, but instead of the perception that someone is “rocking the boat”, everyone understands that you are all working together towards a common goal – the vision shaping your corporate culture.

This is also important for the talent that you onboard. Nothing is worse for team morale than making new talent feel stifled. Using the interview process to truly understand who you want to bring on and how they fit in your company culture becomes essential. This allows for new and different perspectives to work with the flow of those already succeeding within your team.

Using Acquire to Help Build Your Team

One of the advantages of working with Acquire Talent is that we take the time to understand the culture of every client we work with. By developing an in-depth understanding of your company, your culture, and the talent you are seeking to add, Acquire can be the perfect bridge for bringing in new and diverse talent aligned with your vision.