Building High-Performing Diverse Teams

Research has shown that high-performing teams thrive when diversity exists in the organizational structure. It creates a positive employee experience where creativity, innovation, and collaboration become strengths, empowering the team to problem solve and perform more efficiently, while achieving organizational goals. Is your team enough diversified, and do you have different personality strengths on board? You can easily discover the answers to these questions by DISC profiling your team and plotting them all together in a Group Dynamics Report.

A Quick Case Study

Let’s assume that Organization ABC is made up of mostly task-driven, high-performing employees who value speed and skill. Production is at an all-time high, but managers are receiving complaints from multiple employees regarding low morale and job satisfaction. An initial assessment of the current personality styles indicates a high number of “D” (active and task-oriented) and “C” (reserved and still task-oriented) style blends. It explains the successful production, but also illuminates a potential cause for insufficient communication and low morale.

Further discussions reveal employees feel disconnected as a team, and their days feel cyclic in nature as they come to work, perform, and go home day after day. There is no sense of belonging and very little interpersonal engagement between employees. This is indicative of a team that is highly skilled, but not diverse enough to fill the behavioral gaps that exist. The management team knows there are several vacant positions to be filled and are presented with an opportunity to hire new talent with the same skill set, but a different mindset—the “S” and “I” style! They now understand the importance of intentionally building a high-performing, diversified team with individuals who are not only technically proficient, but socially and emotionally invested in the overall well-being of every employee—the people-oriented employees!

Pre-Interview Considerations

Building high-performing teams with diversity and flexibility is key to achieving organizational goals and sustaining organizational values. This means finding a healthy balance of employees that possess characteristics that fall within all DISC quadrants. There are many positive characteristics that “Is” and “Ss” bring to the team. Below is a quick look of their individual characteristics, motivators and primary fears to be considered when looking for your next hire.

Why Hire the “I” Style?

They are the glue needed to motivate the team during challenging projects, to build connections, and to uplift struggling teammates. They bring humor and entertainment to the workplace through the good times and the bad. They are team players, motivating, optimistic, happy to help, easygoing, persuasive, negotiators, inspirational, and influential. Bear in mind “I” personalities are motivated by new and unique opportunities, flexibility, creativity, rewards and recognition, and group or team projects, so give them plenty of these!

Why Hire the “S” Style?

The Steady personalities are your loyalists, peacemakers, and trustworthy administrators; natural mediators, ready to engage when necessity calls. They also bring connection and stability to the workplace by building relationships. They bring patience, understanding, empathy, organization, listening and diplomacy to the table and in your corporate culture. Inclusive, friendly environments; opportunities for collaboration; predictability and stability; flexibility; clear roles, responsibilities and expectations are some of the factors which boost their motivation.

Whether you are looking to fill vacancies, or expand your team, if morale and connection, loyalty and support are needed, make no mistake, the people-oriented STRENGTHS demonstrated by “I” and “S” styles, will bring your team bonds to a completely new level! You and your employees will be much happier having them as part of your team!

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