The importance of diversity is now undisputed. Many companies have incorporated diversity into their corporate identity. In times of shortage of skilled workers, desperate recruiters rejoice when they are allowed to put applications on the table for managers that go beyond the "usual suspects". And board members have been sensitized to the issue by renowned studies. Because research shows that diverse teams deliver a better performance.
I see the openness to give everyone a chance as an enormous enrichment for all of us. But why do efforts to promote diversity often stop at the disciplinary boundaries? The discipline on a university or training certificate is often a knock-out criterion for recruiters, leaders and managers. However, it is actually worth thinking more "out of the box" when it comes to professional disciplines.
Lateral entry: not uncommon and yet exotic
When I look back on my own experiences as a career changer, I see a double-edged picture: on the one hand, as a humanities graduate, I was positively surprised that I met other employees in industry with interdisciplinary careers - albeit rarely. But at least there have been other career changers at every one of my employers so far. On the other hand, most of my colleagues met me with question marks in their eyes when they found out about my "exotic" educational background.
During the traditional introductory meetings with employees, the subject of my studies often becomes a topic. It often seemed to me that I had to explain once again why I was qualified for the position I had been offered - even though I had only just successfully completed the application process. But beyond my personal experience, it is much more important to ask whether employees who are recruited across disciplines bring added value to the company. Can everyone (learn) everything? Or are there limits to interdisciplinary employment?
The qualification must be right - but which profiles are qualified?
The idea that every person has the potential to do everything is an admirable idealistic notion. But I readily admit that in the day-to-day reality of a company, everything has its limits. Of course, new employees must be qualified. And for very specialized positions in particular, only people with relevant education or experience can be considered. Think of technical, medical or legal professions, for example.
There have always been departments in companies that were more or less suitable for lateral entry. And digitalization is not only changing business models, but also the associated job profiles. As a result, companies have to fill positions that were completely unknown to them until recently - be it Agile Coaches, UX Managers or Customer Happiness Officers (my personal favorite title), to name just a few examples. Academic educational institutions can hardly keep up with the rapid dynamics of the labor market, which makes the question of a corresponding degree ad absurdum.
The speed at which learned specialist knowledge in certain fields is becoming obsolete is increasing rapidly. And last but not least, artificial intelligence is putting the importance of (disciplinary) knowledge to a painful test. Recruiting is therefore all the more confronted with the task of searching not only for skills, but also for personality types. Creativity and adaptability can be important key skills in transformation processes. Career changers can often offer these, as they have already proven that they can think their way into new areas.
In our fast-paced working environments, diverse teams also perform so well because different minds can serve a broader spectrum together. Therefore, a mix of specialist disciplines can also contribute to successful navigation through uncertain times. Of course, lateral hires pose a number of challenges for traditional recruiting processes. All the more reason why we need to be aware that qualifications are not just a question of skills profile, but also a question of personality type.