Change and volatility within an organisation and from the external environment exert pressure on teams. Research shows that when a team possesses a diverse set of strengths, it is consistently more agile, able to adapt and achieves higher quality outcomes.
Let’s look at how teams with a diverse set of strengths function differently, how to identify and understand the team’s strengths, and use them to their best advantage.
What are the characteristics of a team with diverse strengths?
- Scope of knowledge: When individuals have a diverse set of skills and experience, a team can take on more tasks and manage them well. A variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives offers a broader range of ideas and solutions to be considered when facing challenges.
- Flexibility: With a wider range of strengths to draw from, teams can adjust their strategies to be more effective to changing circumstances.
- Creativity: Diverse and varied strengths stimulate creativity, enables teams to think creatively and produce innovative solutions that might not be apparent to a team that share a similar set of strengths.
- Resilience: When a team can draw on a wider set of collective strengths, they can face challenges with a range of problem-solving options and therefore overcome obstacles more successfully.
What are the advantages of team with a diverse set of strengths?
- Improved decision-making: When teams with different strengths collaborate, they challenge each other more, reducing groupthink and enhancing the quality of decisions.
- Better problem solving: Team members with diverse strengths approach problem-solving from different angles and the combined and varied skills and experiences enables the team to tackle challenges with a broader skill set.
- Adaptability: A team with a diverse set of strengths is more comfortable dealing with a variety of opinions and approaches, this is invaluable in dynamic environments where the ability to respond quickly to change is a key factor for success.
How to optimise the effectiveness of a diverse team?
- Discovering and exploring strengths within a team is essential – sometimes these strengths are very apparent within a team and occasionally they are less visible. Using a tool like Strengthscope can provide valuable insights at both individual and team levels. Investing time to explore strengths collectively builds deeper relationships and trust, reducing vulnerability when facing pressure.
- Coaching is highly effective in helping the team understand its purpose, identity, and preferred leadership style. By establishing its collective strengths, the team is empowered to embrace individual strengths and use them to their best advantage.
Teams with diverse strengths enjoy enhanced agility, adaptability, and improved outcomes. However, this requires identifying, embracing, and optimising the potential of these diverse strengths. Nurturing team cohesion and aligning the collective strengths of the with objectives fosters growth and success.