Innovation Teams: Hire Better

Innovation teams within the enterprise are no longer secrets. There are hundreds of innovation teams and departments operating with boots on the ground, scanning for the next big disruption or trend that could transform an entire industry. However, all teams aren’t the same. There are some that excelling at their roles in keeping their company at the forefront of innovation while there are some that well, aren’t.

Below are a few key traits of that should be top of your list while building out or expanding your innovation team. I’ve compiled these traits to enable your team to have a secure foundation allowing it to be the bedrock for transformation within your organization.

Diversity

Diversity in every sense of the word: industries, countries, cultures and backgrounds. Different perspectives can add tremendous value to your innovation team. Don’t focus on people from the banking space because you’re in the banking space, don’t only choose people from the CPG space because that’s where you operate. The entire concept of innovation is driven by people who are providing a fresh assessment of where an industry is today and where it could be tomorrow.  Diversity in knowledge is a vital element of any innovation team looking to utilize technology to be at the forefront of change.

Empathy

Taking a step back, innovation is being driven by technology that is directly impacting customer expectations. Bring people on to the team who can get into the mind of the consumer, be empathetic to their needs and wants and THEN identify areas to innovate. This enables teams to be more focused with their initiatives, preventing teams from transforming redundant aspects of your business.

Risk Tolerance

Bring on people who are not afraid to take risks. Look for people who aren’t troubled by change. Motivate your team to operate independently with the ability to take risks that may or may not pay off. Any innovation team is facing two risks: one, is identifying products and services for the future that may not even be relevant; and two, working to create those products and services. Innovation is being led by individuals who aren’t fearful of a new status quo and are willing to take that extra step to establish it.

Agility

Large companies with tens of thousands of employees are inflicted with a group-think mindset that often hinders quick decisions. It’s crucial to break this mindset by recognizing individuals who can not only be agile themselves but also inspire other teams to overcome losses quickly and move onto the next big idea. Over analyzing and over-thinking every facet of a decision not only makes a team lose focus but also motivation.

Leaders

Successful innovation departments need to have team players willing to take the lead, providing the direction and focus required by innovation initiatives. Recognizing a leader within a group also cuts through the ambiguity, enabling a team to be agile, which helps sustain much needed momentum.

Story Tellers

Pinpoint people who can create an engaging story around your team and your initiatives. Stories help capture the attention of an audience. Great story tellers create an environment linking the problem and solution together in a way that is far superior that a presentation with charts, numbers and forecasts. Use stories to not only get teams on-board with your plan, but excited as well.

Collaborators & Communicators

Creating internal advocates for innovation relies on good old-fashioned communication and collaboration. Increase transparency to uncover team goals, creating a common goal for everyone across the organization. Make teams accessible, allow members to network within the organization. Get business units together to help innovation teams understand the true issues faced within, getting them one step closer to being truly innovative.