Innovation & Development Teams

The composition of development teams should ideally represent the diversity of the (potential) user groups for developing their services or products. Diverse teams generally produce more ideas and arrive at more creative solutions, which has a positive impact on the quantity and quality of the resulting innovations.

Diverse teams can only develop their full innovation potential for creativity if their leader allows and encourages them to do so. Therefore, leaders of heterogeneous teams should be familiar with different leadership approaches and be able to adapt their leadership style according to the current situation and team composition. Managing heterogeneous teams is challenging – but it can be learned.

Diverse teams hold great potential for companies in terms of knowledge and skills. Well-functioning innovation teams appreciate and support interaction with each other and perceive different views and approaches as an enrichment. These positive effects of diversity can also be strengthened and developed in innovation teams using systematic steps.

Innovation often arises where people from different backgrounds meet and exchange ideas. Internal and external organizational networks can provide important platforms for exchange and support for members of various diversity groups. It is possible to increase the likelihood of chance contacts even further across departmental and hierarchical levels, particularly with digital technologies.