Staffing my new company

An imagination of starting up my own company is a scenario that personally appeals to me in very many ways. To individuals who envisage the future in a desired entrepreneurial manner, this is something that creates a huge amount of interest.

Staffing my own would-be company is something that is so important and crucial, in order to realize success or growth through increasing creativity and effectiveness. Personally, I believe that the following criterion would be would serve me best.

Employing a diversified work force;
This is tantamount to suggesting upon employing people from a wide range of backgrounds, ages, and life experiences. Having people of diversity in my company would first of all make it very competitive by helping to solve recruitment problems. The impact of not treating people fairly has not only far reaching impact on those directly affected but also damages the wider workplace culture. Where inequalities occur there is a risk to the reputation of an organisation within the business community and beyond. Likewise, the exclusion of individuals or groups has an equally devastating impact on those affected, as well as denying an organisation of the skills that a diverse employee base can bring. According to the study done by Katrina Jordan (1999), having a diversified work force would lead to an increase in staff sensitivity as well as an increase in executive commitment. Diversity staffing would also empower people by helping them to understand others and develop a world view beyond their own. As a result they know how to respond to and resolve differences that might otherwise interfere with their work. I therefore believe that having staff with such views would increase creativity and effectiveness.

Employing the best;
I believed that one of the best ways to increase creativity and effectiveness at work is by employing the smartest and best people. People who have had a proven track record in doing things at the work place will be desired first, before all the rest are considered. Any employee that has tested success in another company will always have the skills, abilities, and determination/ drive to succeed. That being said, such an individual will be employed in my new company with the hope of increasing creativity and effectiveness.

Networking;
Similar to the above, I would employ the people who have technical advantages within the area of technology. In this sense, I would be leaning towards the possibility of networking in my company. Networking would be very advantageous in a way that it would be very possible to share data files across the network by creating a share on the hard drive and allowing other people access to that information. It would also be possible for employees to access their work from any workstation connected to the network, easily exchange work with colleagues, and co-operate on tasks. All the above scenarios would lead to an increase in team work within the company, hence increasing the chances of being creative, innovative, and effective.

Risk takers;
In the article by Stevenson & Gumpert (1985), I am struck by the fact that the authors describe the ideal entrepreneur as an outlaw who pursues every opportunity he encounters without thinking about the consequences. The authors compare the ideal entrepreneur with a person who is egocentric and pursues an opportunity aggressively without thinking through the decision hence taking high risks. As a proponent of such views, I would also follow the lead and look for individuals who are as ready to take risks as I am. And I believe that having people that are ready and motivated to change certain situations would increase the creativity and effectiveness of my company.

Trustworthiness;
It is a common belief that trust should be highly abundant in an individual if at all there would ever be effective communication. While starting up my new company, I would see to it that I employ trustworthy people. According to Schneider, Gunnarson and Niles (1996), management participation is another way of how management can be active in earning employee trust, thereby receiving commitment in return. In that sense, employees who are highly committed to the cause will always be fired up and they will hence show willingness to be creative, innovative and effective. The authors further highlight that the employer-employee relationship is a reciprocal/ two-way relationship.

Expertise;
While trying to staff my company, I would take some lines from Amabile (1998) , who indicates that, in each individual, creativity is composed of three elements: expertise; creative, imaginative thinking skills and motivation that managers can influence. Expertise can be considered as the technical competence of a person, intellectual and bureaucratic knowledge acquired by an individual for instance while at school through formal education, at work through practical experience and by means of multiple interactions with different kinds of professionals. As a person starting up my own company, I believe that expertise is a very good quality to possess and by all means, individuals who have such competencies will be creative and effective within their field of competence.

Shared Vision;
I also have a belief that in order to be successful in my start-up company, there is need for me to employ people with whom I share a vision. The high enthusiasm that exists in me while starting up the company should be carried on for as long as it can get. I have a belief that if there is a shared vision with my staff, then communication and cooperation will be in abundance. It is certainly not very easy to quickly find the people who have the same belief and visionary attitude but it is also true that good qualities in people do not hide for a long time. I would therefore look for communication qualities in any person that I would employ in my company because even when some people may not be perfect and very smart, at least their personality and attitude would be easily adaptive towards the sense of sharing a vision that would drive the company forward. All the above qualities are therefore indicators of would-be creative and effective individuals.

References

Amabile, T. M. (1998), “How to Kill Creativity”, Harvard Business Review, September-October, 77-87.

Katrina Jordan (1999), Diversity Training: “What Works, What Doesn't, and Why” Civil Rights Journal, Vol. 4.

Stevenson, H.H., & Gumpert, D.E; (1985); “The heart of entrepreneurship”, Harvard Business Review (March-April) 85-94

Schneider, B, Gunnarson, K.S and Niles-Jolly, K. “Creating the climate and culture of success.” Organisational dynamics 23 (1994):17-29