Individuals who are brilliant but challenging could contribute strongly to businesses if engaged correctly, according to David Yiend, chief executive of agricultural feed business AB Agri.
Discussing the proposition of ‘disruptive talent’ recently developed by performance consultancy Organisational Effectiveness Cambridge (OE Cam), Yiend explained that his own firm had experienced a surge in business activity after launching a 'New Ventures' programme to harness such talent.
“What we call disruptive talent are those people who never take no for an answer,” Yiend told HR magazine. “They challenge everything all the time, are entrepreneurial and are focused on specific goals.”
OE Cam’s work in this area suggests that in the past ‘disruptive talent’ may have been sidelined because of these individuals’ unusual approach or inability to function within a team. It is now working with businesses to help them harness their disruptive talent.
OE Cam’s managing partner and chartered psychologist Martyn Sakol said that established firms are under constant threat from fast-moving entrepreneurs who are not afraid to rock the boat. “Their innovations break the mould and change the way in which we live, often delivering huge financial returns,” he said.
“Most large businesses have their share of disruptive talent. Whether they are obsessed with detail, fiercely tenacious, or a world-standard intellect, they are unlikely to sit easily within a traditional corporate structure. And yet their potential value to the organisation is enormous.”
Sakol added: “We are finding that, with the support of senior management, it is possible to harness these individuals and to create game-changing teams within even the most traditional organisation, and that is the way that the blue chip firms of today will compete with the entrepreneurs whose inventions are even now in development.”
