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Why a diverse team is the key to success

22 Jul 2015

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It can be seen how diversity influences both companies and internal processes, as well as relationships with clients, suppliers or other external stakeholders. Therefore, the following question arises: why is it recommended for companies to focus on diversity?

Diversity comes with a series of elements: cultural, linguistic, religious, social status or age diversity, and its impact can be beneficial to the organization if it is approached appropriately. There is a thin line between the advantages and disadvantages brought by diversity, that is why diversity management is very important.

Why is a diverse team beneficial to your organization?

INCREASES CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
With so many different and diverse minds, out-of-the-box solutions are more common. Each member of the team contributes in his own style to brainstorming, ideation sessions or innovation processes.

INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY
Diversity provides the right context for different personalities and talents to work for a common goal using a set of skills that strengthens the relationship between team members and increases its productivity.

DIVERSE EXPERIENCE
The uniqueness of your colleagues’ experiences are strongly beneficial for teamwork. Each team member has strengths and weaknesses derived from previous experiences. If they are properly managed, they can complement the weak points, creating a unique harmony, and the team’s impact should be immediate.

LEARNING AND GROWTH
Another benefit brought by diversity is the personal growth of employees. Exposure to new ideas, different cultures and perspectives can lead each team member to a higher level of knowledge. Spending time with a culturally diverse team can break certain subconscious barriers dictated by ethnocentrism and xenophobia.

CONCLUSION
Diversity can influence the base of any organization, a diverse team if not managed properly can create unwanted effects. So, ignoring the effects or the existence of diversity in a society that is constantly growing will only lead to loss of productivity and, most importantly, to loss of profitability.

6 Inspirational Films for the Team

15 Apr 2015

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That feeling of energy, joy, inspiration or excitement that a great movie can create is always amazing. Movies are a great way to connect people to an experience based on emotion. These have been used for years by coaches and managers to inspire and reinforce the ideas or values they want to see in their team.

If you are looking for a perfect way to promote team-building, to develop the dynamics of a team or simply to do a debriefing based on leadership experiences, this list will be useful to you:

INVIRONABLE
“Undefeated” is one of the most inspirational films about creating a good team in certain critical circumstances.
The film presents the portrait inspired by the first days of Nelson Mandela as president, aware that from a racial and economic point of view the country remained divided due to apartheid. The film summarizes the way in which he associates with the leader of the South African rugby team, being convinced that he can unify his people through the universal language of sport. Represented by the slogan, “One Team, One Country”, Mandela set the goal of winning the incredible World Cup Championship competition. Thus, the film describes how Mandela established his leadership spirit as president.
Watch the movie trailer here.

COACH CARTER
Based on an incredible true story, the film introduces Coach Ken Carter, a top basketball player who returns to his hometown high school to coach a dysfunctional team.
The team had many conflicts, such as lack of discipline, acts of aggression, physical attack, family dysfunction, lack of cohesion, use of inappropriate language, poor academic performance, and yet the players have a contagious love for the game and each athlete can associate with the need to be part of something bigger and better than the experiences on the streets they lived on. This becomes a driving force in Carter’s attempt to encourage and teach the Richmond basketball team the value, hard work, discipline, courage, how to overcome adversity and find purity and the possibility of becoming an athlete and a student. successful, as well as a team with a mission and objectives.
Watch the movie trailer here.


TITANS

“Titans” is the true story of an African-American coach and his high school team in their first season as a racially integrated unit.
The film is about the high school football team the T.C. Williams. It describes the trials and tribulations that the football team goes through as two different cultures merge and try to unite to achieve a common goal – to win the football championship. As soon as the players begin to accept each other and trust each other, they become victorious in their pursuit of ideals. Along the way, their trust is put to the test several times. Situations arise that raise questions for those involved, but each time the focus for the common goal of winning the championship allows them to overcome problems. Ultimately, the film is about work, dedication, sacrifice, leadership and success.
Watch the movie trailer here.

THE MIRACLE
The Miracle is the heartwarming story behind one of the greatest moments in sports history – the 1980 Olympic victory of the United States hockey team against the Soviet Union.
The film follows the development of the men’s hockey team that led to victory in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid under the guidance of coach Herb Brooks, being an excellent example of the evolution of a team through the 4 main stages of formation conceptualized by Bruce Tuckman : Formation, Creation, Norms, Performance. Finally, the film portrays positive values of team work, discipline, courage, determination and overcoming limits in order to rise from the position of the underdog to that of the champion.
Watch the movie trailer here.

APOLLO 13
Apollo 13 is, with the exception of small details, a faithful reproduction of the mission to bring home the 3 astronauts stuck in space, a superb alternation between the action from space and the efforts of NASA.
As a result of the movie Apollo 13, the phrase “Failure is not an option” was an inspiration for the vision and mission of many groups.
Engineers and astronauts represent rational leadership during a crisis. In essence, the film is also the perfect example of virtual teams. Gene Kranz (Ed Harris), in charge of flight operations in Houston, and Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), lunar mission commander display their leadership skills when an explosion occurs on the Apollo 13 spacecraft. Through teamwork, the ingenuity and rational process of these leaders solve an almost impossible problem.
Krantz and Lovell maintain control in a chaotic situation, which inspires confidence among the group. Apollo 13 outlines the fact that, although leaders want loyalty and passion, it is important to secure the trust of their group first.
Watch the movie trailer here.

FAITH IN VICTORY
“Belief in victory” is the story of a coach who, in his six years of high school football, never led his team, the Shiloh Eagles, to a winning season.
Grant Taylor is a Christian high school football coach who uses his faith to fight his fear of failure. After learning that he and his wife are dealing with infertility, Grant discovers that a group of fathers are secretly organized to reject him as head coach. Devastated by the circumstances, he prays to God in despair. When Grant receives a message from an unexpected visitor, he searches for a stronger purpose for his football team. When faced with incredible situations, the team must stand up to the greatest test of strength and courage. What will take place is a dynamic story of the battle between faith and fear. “Faith in victory” is a powerful experience for the whole team, inspiring them to live together with faith and give their best at any moment.
Watch the movie trailer here.

 

3 aspects to take into account in creating the culture of innovation

30 Mar 2015

Corning Company Inc. has created a series of videos entitled “A day Made of Glass” which has the role of inspiring employees to achieve results aligned with the company’s objectives.

It is well known that employees who have a personal connection with the job are much more involved. The question raised by Generation Y is: “How can your company and my job have an impact in the world?” By clearly communicating the purpose of the company.

The Toms Shoes company is guided by a simple idea: for every pair of shoes purchased, Toms donates a pair to an underprivileged child, and in this direction the company invites its employees to participate in periodic events that have this purpose. Toms employees are not only ambassadors of the brand, but more than that they are the brand in action, changed and inspired by the experience, they return to the office motivated and much more involved in the company’s activity.

2. Integrates the company’s brand into work processes
The highest enthusiasm of an employee is on the first day of work. Insight that the Zappos company noticed and turned into an experience, helping it to be known for a customer service company rather than for the online store of shoes and clothes.

From the first day, employees are exposed to customer service experience. In the first weeks, the employees go through all the departments, from the call center to the branding of the website and up to packaging and transport.

3. Communication
The innovation process depends on the engagement of employees. The best method to nurture their engagement is to keep them active in the loop of the process, whether email or an internal communication tool is used, they must be informed about the status of their idea.

Here are 4 key steps that must be communicated in the innovation process:
Receiving ideas – communicate to your colleagues the receipt of ideas and their status. Our recommendation is that each participant in the innovation process receive an answer regarding the receipt of ideas; it is important for them to know that their idea has not been lost digitally.
Feedback – even if an idea is rejected, this must be communicated. No feedback can be worse than rejecting an idea, as long as it is communicated properly;
Implementation
Success

As in any successful business, the culture of innovation must be continuously managed and kept up to date with market trends.

Join us at Innovation Summit 2015!

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