At the Human Resources Forum 2009 onboard the Oriana cruise liner - somewhere near the coast of Guernsey - HR directors have been told it's time to employ "weird people". As you can imagine this raised some eyebrows.
This morning keynote speakers, Anja Foerster and Peter Kreuz, directors of management company Foerster & Kreuz, energetically bounded across the stage in front of 140 unsuspecting HR directors saying it is time to stop hiring "mini-mes" and start hiring those who can bring fresh and enthusiastic thinking to the company.
They said the great ideas come when different people are brought together, as homogeneity -or inter-breeding as they also referred to it - crushes creativity.
It sounded like a great theory and their presentation raised a few chuckles from the directors, but over lunch many simply said the idea of being able to recruit at all seems a far off dream at the moment.
Comments (2)
Business is boring and needs to change to survive.
I come from rural area that will remain unnamed but has many cousins in, so I like the inbreeding metaphor...business rarely tackle sin outside influences which is a shame. Comedy improv, aikido, meditation, Non Violent Communication are a few that keep me from sinking in the swamp. What I do is often regarded as weird at first sight and this is OK as long as it's effective (and this is crucial) - creative leading, edge work always is always seen as weird at first, so if no one's telling you that you're stale.
As for employing people - yes the same principle applies and I also sympathise with people out there who simply can't afford it at the moment. When you need bread to eat, fancy jam isn't so appealing.
The wider picture for me is that there are basically two responses to a pressure:
- contract and get more conservative
- diversify and get creative
The former is easier and more habitual, the latter more effective in my experience.
Mark
http://integrationtraining.blogspot.com/
Posted by Leadership Training Mark | May 8, 2009 10:08 AM
Posted on May 8, 2009 10:08
I concur with Mark - all businesses need to examine the gene pool of talent that they have and ensure that they have the right mix of creativity, innovation and discipline. Getting that recipe right is the key to success.
Posted by Rob Crossland | May 13, 2009 2:35 PM
Posted on May 13, 2009 14:35