Canadian HR Reporter

SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 CANADIAN HR REPORTER & STRATEGIC CAPABILITY NETWORK e rapid advancement of technology is presenting unique chal- lenges for employers, and fuelling desire for a new pool of talent, according to Michelle Moore, senior vice-president of global product development at LHH Knightsbridge in Toronto. "We find ourselves in unprec- edented business conditions," she said. "As HR leaders, we need to be on the cutting edge of this in understanding how it actually impacts our organization and the people within it… At the highest level, what it means is that organi- zations really need to develop new business capabilities." "Innovation, in my books, is no longer optional." Speaking at a recent SCNet- work event in Toronto, Moore said technology has unlocked a new world of business competi- tion alongside a fresh set of ex- pectations from both employees and clientele. To compete in the modern workplace, employers need to seek out talent who do things differently — be that gen- erating fresh ideas or challenging the status quo. "You need people who can ac- tually fuel these ideas and make innovation a reputable and sus- tainable business process or ca- pability in your organizations," she said. "If you don't have people who can keep the pipeline of ideas full, who can push, get things done, work nicely with others, do it for the organization, you're going to be in trouble." "We cannot underestimate the value of people, because that's re- ally the secret sauce." Who are disruptors? Disruptors, according to Moore, are "people who can spot ideas, implement them… work nicely with other people to actually put those ideas into practice, and stay over the longer term in an organization." On the innovation talent spec- trum, disruptors are more than simply inventors and entrepre- neurs, as they provide "sustained innovation and results," she said. "Innovation, if you think about the definition, is doing something in a dramatically different way to unlock new business value," said Moore. "is is the time where we want people to actually be disruptive." While acknowledging the term "disruptor" appears negative in nature, Moore said the talent pool she is referring to is actually productive and loyal, with strong intentions of maintaining corpo- rate value. Disruptors are curious, cre- ative, resilient people, who be- lieve in their ideas, but also have the ability to spot opportunity in changing market needs and ex- ecute accordingly, she said. And disruptors are the next type of high-potential talent, who can increase business results by developing new products or ser- vices, and connect innovative ideas to an organization's core model, said Moore. "When you bring on disrup- tors, you have to sometimes mea- sure their performance differently because it takes a while to work through the innovation pipeline." Not all disruptors recognize their abilities, and it's often up to HR to unlock them in an effort to challenge the status quo, she said. "is is our job as leaders, of course, to watch for those behav- iours and to encourage people to apply them in a way that's going to deliver business value for our organization." Is your organization ready? But seeking disruptive workers isn't for everyone; it depends on an organization's commitment to innovation, said Moore. Typical readiness includes an appropriate mix of culture, in- novation maturity, tech readiness and rewards alignment. Many companies are confused regarding their current innova- tion needs. e good news is they can leverage disruptors in many ways, regardless of their corpo- rate maturity, with actions rang- ing from rudimentary ideation to seeking help from an advisory board, all the way to hiring a dis- ruptor on an interim or perma- nent basis, she said. "We need to make sure we have, first of all, a vision in place," said Moore, noting the need for an innovation process. "is is probably one of the most impor- tant things if you want to make it sustainable and repeatable… It's easier to come up with one good idea for innovation. It's very hard to come up with that second." e process requires a pathway to idea generation and processes surrounding selection, rapid de- velopment and launch, as well as strategies surrounding measure- ment and management. "You need the process," she said. "You need governance around this whole thing. It has to be in place and that is the biggest challenge I have talking to C-suite leaders, is getting them to understand that it is a discipline." It is also important to refrain from neglecting the core busi- ness by pursuing too many risky endeavours, said Moore. "We have to remember that innovation is about doing new things... We have to learn from our successes and our failures and be able to apply it." Maximizing success Realignment of corporate culture may be necessary, as a cutting- edge employee experience is es- sential for attracting and recruit- ing millennial employees, she said. "ere are lots of things that go into your culture," said Moore. "It's not just your values — it's the history of your organization, the norms that you have — there are a lot of different pieces here." Building blocks to an innova- tion culture include promoting agility, improving change man- agement, and encouraging cre- ative thinking, she said. Once disruptors are brought on, they require personal support alongside access to an executive sponsor and peer mentors, said Moore. Managerial support in the form of frequent feedback and appropriate performance reviews also helps, as does a connection to other disruptors within or out- side the company. Participation in startup communities and confer- ences should be encouraged. "It's very lonely to be the only person who thinks a certain way," she said. Leveraging disruptive talent With growing drive for innovation, disruptors are new high-potential recruits BY MARCEL VANDER WIER Credit: MaDedee (Shutterstock)

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