Why Are Some Teams More Innovative?

“Why are some teams more innovative than others?” That’s a question that can make or break a business’ success. What’s the secret to innovative teams? Innovative companies recognize that the best hires not only come to their teams with the right talent, skills, and experience; they also think and work in ways that match and complement each other. This understanding is the basis behind Kimberly-Clark’s award-winning Welcome Original Thinkers program.

In this recruiter.com story, industrial/organizational psychologist and Kimberly-Clark senior talent management consultant, Dr. Beth Demko, highlights the need to balance a blend of multiple ways of thinking with the need to solve problems and achieve results. In defining the secret to innovative teams, Dr. Demko writes, “Developing innovative solutions requires looking at problems and opportunities from different angles. To do this, teams need to be composed of members with a variety of thinking styles and diverse skill sets and experiences.” Dr. Demko also explains, “Mixing different personalities in a workgroup can guard against groupthink, a situation in which team members become so similar in outlook that they lose their capacity for creative thinking.”

Kimberly-Clark relies on Relish Marketing and other agencies to help the company continue to develop and grow its Welcome Original Thinkers approach – from the program’s launch in 2016 to the publication of expanded guides for each Original Thinker type to the company’s IdeaStorm approach to collaborative brainstorming.

Dr. Demko’s article appears as part of a series on “The Innovators” and includes insights into how Kimberly-Clark defines Original Thinking, as well as specific ways for any business to improve their teams’ creativity and effectiveness. It’s a rare peek into the science behind the success of the Kimberly-Clark approach – and we’re glad to be able to share it with you.

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