"Our team just has not got it together since the pandemic and the changes that it has spawned".
"If our sector is going to be disrupted, we will be on the receiving end, not the mover and shaker."
"Frankly, we were set up to maintain the status quo and to avoid rocking the boat."
Many teams are struggling to cope with the changed operating environment. Their carefully crafted script is not being played out as written.
Why are teams with skilled professionals faring so badly in the face of unplanned, rapid change?
One clue is to examine earlier recruitment and selection practices.
PRE-PANDEMIC HIRING PHILOSOPHY
DISCLAIMER:
There are forward looking Talent Acquisition units. However, this review is not a figment of my imagination.
Let's be honest. Some Talent Acquisition teams tend to be risk averse. They want to hire people who are going to fit in nicely, follow the rules, and work to complete their assignments to the best of their ability.
They are not keen to take a chance on some outlier who might turn out to be a star.
In addition, most organizations were committed to designing medium term strategic plans and sticking close to them - pre-pandemic and outside of the pressure from the increased incidence of disrupted industries,.
All this manifested in hiring practices that were heavily biased in favour of more conservative candidates.
Using our DISCerning Model, C-Style and S-Style candidates stood a better chance of being hired than their D-Style and especially, I-Style co-applicants.
Given similar experience and academic qualifications, the C-Style candidate’s conscientiousness, compliance-orientation, task-orientation suggests that this is a safe choice.
Similarly, the S -Style candidate brings such a sense of peace and serenity. This is the kind of highly cooperative and supportive individual that we should have in our team.
Meanwhile, the D-Style candidate comes across as assured, but maybe a bit too confident. (Sidebar: Confidence can be unsettling.) This looks like the kind of person who once they settle might start challenging the status quo and marching to their own beat.
Should we run that risk?
“What did you think about the I-Style candidate?”
“She was a lot of fun and really engaging. But she seems to be into innovation and creativity. I am not sure that she could fit into our more formal structure.
Maybe we can keep her information in case a job comes up that fits her style.”
TEAM MAPS
Extended DISC® Team Maps can be overlaid with outcomes, mindsets and behaviours in each of the four DISC quadrants.
The D and I quadrants on the right could have terms like Change, Renewal, Innovation, Creativity.
The C and S quadrants on the left could have terms like Systems, Structure, Empathy, Reliability.
I would have to search long and hard to find a Team Map that is skewed to the right!
Yet, it is in the D I quadrants that disruption, change and future-readiness comes more naturally.
Earlier hiring practices have produced teams that are skewed to the left. It served organizations well when things followed predictable patterns and execution of existing plans was the name of the game.
Now those teams are struggling to cope with all this change. Remote working and new attitudes to work are additional complexities that distract from "getting things done as planned".
NOW WHAT?
Clearly hiring practices must now give increased credence to potentially “challenging” candidates. After all, you want some people who will challenge your competitors.
But you can't just throw out the existing staff.
The solution is to invest heavily in programs that address issues like Change Management, Innovation & Creativity, Critical Thinking etc.
However, before all that, teams need to first “know themselves”.
What is the make-up of the team behaviourally?
How are team members aligned to their roles behaviourally and is the team itself a good fit for its responsibilities in the current environment?
Who are we individually and collectively?
Teams need behavioural diagnostics to lay the foundation for creating a developmental plan that takes who they are into consideration.
BOTTOM LINE
Ten minutes invested in completing an Extended DISC® behavioural DNA questionnaire and a follow up debriefing and coaching session can produce a surprising level of transformation. Experience the “Now I understand” and “So that’s why” responses as personal analyses, team maps and reports reveal information that is not available from any other source.
--
Let’s have an exploratory conversation, easily schedule HERE, or simply reply to this email.
We empower individuals, teams and their organization. Our focus is on Human Capacity Development through the infusion of technology and the application of leading edge Extended DISC® Behavioural DNA Assessments
WEBINAR RECORDING
