Building a winning team

February 11th, 2010 by Mike Knutson

Build or buy? That’s the central question asked in the article titled “Building a winning team” that recently appeared in computing.co.uk. More specifically, the article uses a professional sports analogy to question whether IT companies should invest in developing their staff (build from within) or hire professionals from outside the company (buy talent) when filling leadership positions.

The article has me thinking about how this issue applies to rural communities; what’s the best way for rural communities to fill job openings such as economic development directors, city managers, utilities managers, and even educators?

One study says build from within

Back in 2001, I read an article recommending that community development organizations hire local residents for job openings because a study had shown that hiring from within the community produced better long-term results. The study claimed that local hires tended to be more committed to the cause, stayed longer in their jobs, and often tapped into existing relationships within the community to get the job done. The study stuck with me because I was newly hired from within the community to work on economic development and housing issues.

While I believe the study has merit, I also have witnessed many rural community development organizations benefit from talented economic development professionals who moved into the community for job openings. It causes me to wonder if there really is a perfect answer.

I wish I had saved that article citing the advantages of hiring locally; if some is aware of similar research, I hope they will share it.

Personally, I think the success of a job candidate, regardless of occupation, probably depends most on their passion and determination - two characteristics that also say a lot about the success of a community.

Where’s the magic?

But I want to throw out one more point for consideration that moves us back to the professional sports analogy. The success of professional teams often depend less on whether the team builds its own players or hires free agents than on the blend of talent that is assembled and how they interact. It’s a sort of magic that emerges when talented teammates bond with each other.

I think the dastardly New York Yankees (sorry I’m a Minnesota Twins fan) are a good example. The Yankees won the 2009 World Series because they had the money to blow assembling the best free agents possible. But that same strategy has not always yielded the same success for the Yankees, as evidenced by their dry run over the last decade.

Rural communities are in a race for talent. Buy or build, I’ll let you decide. But at the end of the day, I think the relationships that exist between the newly hired, their coworkers, and community members adds something special to the mix that helps produce outstanding results.

Sociologists call it social capital…and most preach that it’s a critical part of building a winning community.

Photo Credit: Affiliate - Flickr

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