When you are looking to plan a critical hire into your business do you spend time at the start to assess who will make the decisions to hire? Most companies adopt decision making by consensus when it comes to senior appointments in IT but it’s still highly common to see one critical decision maker who is supported by participants who hold influence but not decision in the recruitment process. My early experiences of the TopGrading method for hiring leaders whilst not a perfect example for this topic does back up that diversity of thought drives better decision making.
Ultimately who makes the final decision on a senior IT hire is down to each respective business but having a diverse recruitment panel when appointing new IT leaders could be more critical than you realise should you be looking to scale the business, go through transformation or hire a leader with long term capability to innovate.
So, whether it’s having a diverse recruitment panel, including wider business stakeholders or customers having more than one key decision maker is crucial for several reasons:
Broader Perspective: A diverse panel always brings together individuals with different backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints. This leads to a more comprehensive assessment of candidates and a better understanding of the skills and qualities needed.
Reduced Bias: A diverse panel can help to mitigate biases that may influence the selection process, by including individuals that may come from different backgrounds in the organisation you will see that elements of potential for bias will be reduced.
Increased Trust and Credibility: This is key for a variety of reasons, it showcases that by being committed to using diverse panels in the hiring process you are increasing the weight of fairness and inclusivity in the recruitment process, the perception will also become much higher. Aside from the obvious benefits this brings to employee’s engagement and seeing there is a fair path to progression you can publicly improve the your businesses reputation which will see top talent being drawn to your opportunity.
Better Decision-Making: A diverse panel coupled with a structured selection approach will lead to more informed and effective decision-making. I know from experience this will also mean some “sure thing” hires don’t get the job but, in my experience, you trust the process and diversity of thought, by considering different perspectives, businesses would rather identify potential risks and opportunities that may not be apparent to a sole decision maker or panel of similar profiles.
Improved Organisational Culture: A diverse leadership team can create a more inclusive and welcoming workplace culture. This can enhance employee morale, productivity, and innovation.
In conclusion, having a diverse recruitment panel for senior IT appointments is essential for ensuring a fair, equitable, and effective selection process. By bringing together individuals with different backgrounds and perspectives, businesses and business leaders can make better decisions, improve their reputation, and create a more inclusive workplace.
Mark
mark@vitreustalent.co.uk
07900557982