Dear Human Resources

Our regular columnist, Aidan Stoate, CEO New Zealand at Inspire Group, shares his heartfelt insights into leading people.

As a frequent pub quizzer, though sadly far less frequent winner, I’ve found myself recently reflecting on the power of knowledge and the benefit of sharing it for the greater good.

Beyond the $50 bar tabs and reputational prestige of securing the coveted first place on the leaderboard, winning these quizzes provides a valuable reminder that successes are most often achieved when individual knowledge is leveraged for collective strength. The teams that most frequently prevail in these environments are diverse. They vary significantly in age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, lived experiences and areas of specialist knowledge. They regularly include at least one participant who instantly knows the day, month and year in which the All Blacks recorded their largest-ever win (with bonus points for correctly guessing the stadium in which it occurred). This is, more often than not, a successful recipe for defeating my modest group of four, who, despite offering adequate general knowledge, are disadvantaged by uniformity.

Organisations are no different. Their diversity is their strength. This strength is mobilised when individuals, teams and functions are effectively integrated to achieve outcomes that are greater than the sum of their parts. This sounds good in theory, and it sounds even more compelling when you consider the statistics in the context of organisational effectiveness. In a recent LinkedIn study, organisations in the top quartile for gender diversity were found to have a 25 per cent higher likelihood of financially outperforming their competition. Those in the top quartile for ethnic diversity were found to have a 36 per cent higher likelihood of financial outperformance. Diverse companies typically earn 2.5 times more cashflow per employee, while inclusive teams are over 35 per cent more productive. Commercial performance and productivity aside, diverse organisations are also more attractive to top talent and more likely to retain them. Considering the metrics, I suspect most of these organisations are attending (and winning) on a Tuesday evening at the Horse and Trap quiz in Mount Eden, too.

So how do we convince our organisations of the importance of diversity? HR has a crucial role here: from the conception of diversity and inclusion strategies to the implementation of learning and development initiatives and working practices that ensure all teams communicate and collaborate in consistent and effective ways. These initiatives are not easily formulated or executed though. They require patience, persistence and, of course, influence.

We influence through stories. We influence through data. We influence through engagement. We influence through results. We influence in different ways that appeal to a broad and varied demographic, which is how we maintain (and grow) these diverse and productive workplaces. Much like a quiz team captain, HR’s role is to evaluate how and where to leverage diverse capabilities for the collective good of the group – and then celebrate the glory of the win (responsibly, of course).

Aidan Stoate is the New Zealand CEO of Inspire Group, an award-winning learning design consultancy that delivers worldclass solutions to organisations globally. Aidan has a passion for helping organisations improve their culture and performance through innovative learning and development interventions. As an ICF-accredited organisational coach, Aidan provides subject-matter expertise for the design and delivery of leadership programmes, while leading the Inspire Group New Zealand business across all projects and disciplines. Having led organisations and teams in the United Kingdom, South-East Asia, North America and Australasia, Aidan brings a nuanced perspective while promoting inclusive, engaging and contextualised solutions that drive genuine behaviour change and strategic benefits.