According to a recent Forbes Insight Study that interviewed over 1,200 executives across Europe, there are five key personality types which must be present within an organization to create a culture of innovation. These personality types are:

Here is a breakdown of the 5 personality types of innovation found among the executives that were interviewed in this study. (Image credit: Forbes.com)

1. the movers and shakers;
2. the experimenters;
3. the star pupils;
4. the controllers; and
5. the hangers-on.

This study argues that without this ideal mix, innovation cannot be attained.

While the study focused on the European market, its findings can nevertheless be insightful for HR and hiring managers in Canada too.

In our increasingly competitive marketplace, fostering internal innovation can be a challenge, as it requires risk-taking, challenging the status quo, and constant re-invention. That being said, HR and hiring managers can find themselves in a unique position, having the ability to inject fresh new talent into a team, in order to shake up a potentially stagnant, “status quo” way of doing things.

How many of these personality types do you have within your organization?

Movers and shakers: this group is personally driven. Their motivation comes from reaching targets and getting rewards. They take pride in having influence over others, and they enjoy leading projects (especially when it comes to promoting themselves). A mover and shaker can be described as arrogant and impatient, but ultimately they provide the extra push needed within a team to ensure the job gets done.

Experimenters: the experimenter can be described as a workaholic, and a perfectionist. They are extremely dedicated to their craft and are not afraid of new ideas. That’s exactly why corporate cultures need experimenters – to push an idea through all phases from beginning to end. It is this determination that makes them critical to an organization’s ability to innovate. Experimenters feel passionate about what they do, and enjoy sharing their expertise with others.

Star Pupils: the image of a child sitting in the front row of a class with their hand raised eagerly attempting to get the teacher’s attention best describes the star pupil. Star pupils excel at everything, seeking out the right advisors, developing their personal brand, and knowing where to harness their colleagues’ best talents.

Controllers: this group prefers to be in control of their own projects and as such, don’t like risk. They are also not necessarily the greatest team players. They enjoy focusing on clear objectives where they better control everything around them. They thrive on overseeing bureaucracy and are practical leaders who like receiving directives to manage others.

Hangers-On: though it may sound negative, the hangers-on are influential and they play a very important role in bringing the whole team back down to earth when it comes organizational limitations that come with unconventional ideas. They dislike unstructured environments, and they usually pick the middle ground when it comes to choosing a side. They prefer conventional wisdom and the “tried and true,” over the “unproven.”

It may be worth it from time to time, to take inventory of the personality mix among your employees to see if there are potential areas within a team that need further support.

For instance, a team filled with “movers and shakers” may require one or more “hangers-on” to settle the group down and remind them about budgets and operational restrictions.

On the other hand, if a company needs a new office manager for example, a person with a personality type who enjoys overseeing bureaucracy (controllers) could be the perfect fit.

Studies like this can arm HR and hiring managers with further proof (to build value among their C-suite), of how talent management is a strategic imperative, and how it plays a critical role in an organization’s development.