We had a thoughtful response from Adrian to yesterday’s post about the design of the people system. Here is an excerpt.
I’m not convinced you can “design” the interactions between people. That smacks of the old authoritarian ideal of being able to control the people who report to you. The interactions themselves depend on individual values, thoughts, emotions and levels of understanding. We can try to affect reality through our actions (and interactions) but we can’t predict or control it.
Are some individual values, thoughts, emotions and levels of understanding important to a person’s success in a role on your team?
As the Manager, these are of great concern in designing the people system. For example, in the design of a customer service department, I am interested in team members who value helping other people, and emotionally can empathize with the customer. When I think about the hiring process, I am certainly going to interview for these exact qualities.
As the Manager, the more I can identify the qualities I want in my team members, the more likely I am able to recruit those folks to be on my team. As the Manager, the people system is the most important system you work on. -TF
Natural Personality Styles is one of the hardest and most important parts of interviewing prospective candidates. Along with skills and background experience, personality styles and values are critical components for successful teambuilding. It is the responsibility of every interviewer to make sure there are compatible styles and attributes for every new candidate as much for the success of the organization as for the individual being hired.