Few years back, an organization I was working with, recruited three females in different positions. There were hue and cry for recruiting recent college graduates, except one, with no experience. Yes, we wanted to have gender balance in the organization, which is important for an organization that promotes gender equity and equal employment opportunity. Recent college graduates bring a lot of synergies and innovation into an organization. What I failed to understand was that the protest or disapproval of recruitment arose due to them being young, vivacious and arrogant or inexperience.
I was asked to comment on this as an Institutional Capacity Building Advisor. Here are my thoughts on team building…
- Yes, experience counts, especially when the organization is trying to recuperate from dormancy or undergoing through restructuring. I do not want to spend time in orientation and training new employee with procedures and processes. I want them to start immediately in their positions and start delivering results. As I had mentioned in my previous blog on innovation—staying one step ahead, it doesn’t matter whether the organization is for-profit or for-non-profit, we need to be ahead of the crowd, especially in the NGO sector where competition is tough for dwindling financial resources. The organization that I worked with did not have time and resources to experiment with inexperience.
- I have worked with diverse teams in various projects and have led quite a few of them. In my team, I do not want people like me or think the same way or have similar interests, skills, and strengths. Unfortunately, that’s how it does not work. Leaders or executives want similar-minded people and it’s true that teams that lack diversity are the norm. The similarity has an inherent advantage. Things get done more quickly when people think, act and speak the same way. This, however, is not good for an organization in the long run. I have noticed that leaders surround themselves with “yes-men” to have their idea, no matter how stupid they are, adopted and implemented quickly. When an organization is going through restructuring, it requires a wide range of thinking. Innovation demands diversity of perspectives, disciplines, and personalities. If I employ people who think like me, I’ll end up with status quo and will not have any innovative ideas. I follow the mantra “the person you like the least is the person you need the most.” (Stephen Shapiro). I want someone to challenge me. I want someone who has skills and perspectives that could provide balance and help me become more effective and innovative.
- I had read somewhere… Do not walk in front of me – I may not follow… Do not walk behind me – I may not lead… Walk beside me and be my friend. The only good thing is that my friends question me, challenge me, and provide me feedbacks – they do not support me blindly.
Team diversity is of extreme importance. My colleagues always complain that I am tensed and stressed but who have worked with me know that it’s when I do the best – creativity and innovation comes from tension, giving rise to differing viewpoints and alternative ways of solving problems. I want to differentiate myself from the competition by having or being with people who think differently and provide me with constructive feedback!!
Thinking Out Loud 