The Expanding Foam Principle for Building Talent Intelligence Teams
In today's fast-paced business environment, organizations need talent intelligence teams that are flexible, agile, and able to adapt quickly. The old model of rigid, siloed teams no longer works. We need a new approach, one that allows talent intelligence to permeate throughout the organization.
Much like the wonderful Bruce Lee descibed free form martial arts as
"Be formless. Shapeless. Like water. You put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend" Bruce Lee
I would argue that we should be the same but with the added value of stickiness. This is where the expanding foam principle comes in. Just like foam expands to fill the contours of whatever space it's in, talent intelligence teams should be designed to spread out and integrate with other business functions but have the relationships and bonds remain in place.
Rather than staying confined to their narrow disciplines, team members should engage broadly. A Talent Intelligence expert shouldn't just talk to TA or HR, but also connect with finance, real estate, competitive intelligence, marketing intelligence.... the list goes on. We should expand and take in those areas that haven't been serviced in a traditiional siloed model.
This cross-functional interaction allows for richer insights and better strategic decision-making. Silos get broken down through relationship-building and knowledge sharing. The expanding foam principle enables talent intelligence to add value across the organization. Team members act as flexible connectors that bond disparate groups together. They become vital conduits of information flow.
Building teams this way takes vision and commitment from leadership. It requires breaking down outdated hierarchical structures and encouraging horizontal movement of knowledge and skills. But the payoff can be immense.
With the expanding foam principle, talent intelligence transforms into a dynamic capability that permeates the organizational fabric. It becomes integral to strategic thinking at all levels. Talent intelligence informs and enhances every business decision and action.
The result is a more agile, adaptive organization. By spreading out and integrating, talent intelligence teams drive better results in today's complex business environment. The expanding foam principle paves the way for strategic advantage through improved information sharing and collective intelligence.
"Be formless. Shapeless. But sticky. Like expanding foam. You put foam into a cup, it becomes the cup and never comes out. You put foam into a bottle, it becomes the bottle and never comes out. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot and never comes out. Be foam, my friend" Toby Culshaw