Successful adaptation and cognitive diversity

by | Mar 18, 2021 | Effective Teams, Innovation, Leadership

I have really enjoyed watching and working with organizations that have successfully adapted during the pandemic. We can all think of success stories, but we can also cite examples of organizations that have struggled or closed their doors. 

I think the organizations that have successfully been able to adapt have created cohesive teams that were able to work together to solve some of the complex challenges they were facing. These teams likely had a mix of team members who think differently from each other. They needed out of the box thinkers, researchers, planners, and implementers in order to create and execute creative solutions. When we think about diversity of teams, we should also be thinking about cognitive diversity. 

One of the tools we use to help develop more effective teams is the Basadur Profile. The Basadur Profile enhances team creativity, collaboration, and problem solving by helping each individual understand their unique problem solving preference and how that relates to their team members’ preferences. Dr. Min Basadur developed the Profile based on over 40 years of research, and over 150,000 people have taken it. 

The Profile has identified four unique problem solving styles (from basadurprofile.com):

Generator: ‘I like to get things started’

“Generators love finding new problems and opportunities to work on.”

Conceptualizer: ‘I enjoy taking time to really define the problem’

“Conceptualizers like to define a problem and put together ideas and solutions.”

Optimizer: ‘I enjoy turning ideas into practical solutions’

“Optimizers like to refine and evaluate ideas, turning abstract notions into practical plans.”

Implementer: ‘I want to get things done’

“Implementers do what is necessary to get the job done.”

After completing the Profile, we lead team members through hands-on activities to help them better understand the results. I suspect the organizations that have most successfully navigated the pandemic had team members skilled in all four of the problem solving styles identified by Basadur. Those organizations with less than three of the four problem solving styles have probably struggled more to adapt during the pandemic. 

Would you like to learn more about how the Basadur Profile can enhance your team’s effectiveness? Please contact us to learn more about this affordable and effective approach.