3 Ways to Improve Your Group Dynamics Through Your Hiring Process - Spark Hire

3 Ways to Improve Your Group Dynamics Through Your Hiring Process - Spark HireWeve all heard of them. And if youre lucky, youve been a part of one the standout gruppe with effortless flow in the workplace. This team appears to have an extrasensory quality to their group dynamic that makes no task impossible.Whether its a team of 4 or 400, group dynamics matters. Unless youre a lone entrepreneur, you have a team at play in your business. And when your employees work well together, they are more likely to work harder and stick around. Achieving great group dynamics depends on each member investing in the success of the team and contributing in a relevant and useful way. A 2019 study from New York University found people who are naturally attuned to others emotions are better able to judge how well small groups perform together. Fully understanding group dynamics and hiring with them in mind ensures you build and maintain a happy, productive, power-house team. To build a better group dy namic in your organization, focus on these aspects during the hiring processDetermine emotional intelligenceEmotional intelligence is defined as the ability to identify and manage ones own emotions, as well as the feelings of others. Employees with high emotional intelligence (EI) are worth their weight in gold. The top EI skills to seek out during the hiring process areemotional awarenessthe ability to harness emotions and apply them to tasksthe ability to manage emotions, both ones own or, when necessary, to shift group emotions Test the emotional intelligence of your applicants by asking situational questions during the interview. How did they handle an unethical situation at work? What happened when they had to deal with a conflict with a supervisor? When top candidates describe these experiences, they should be able to elaborate and give you the full-picture view. Be sure to dive in with follow-up questions to get a thorough grasp of their perspective. Choose scenarios that can didates are likely to face if you hired them. For different roles, EI requirements will vary. Because the specific needs of each role impact which emotional intelligence traits should be emphasized, the assessment of those factors is equally important to consider. Employing one-way video interviews instead of phone interviews early in the screening process allows you to pay special attention to your candidates reactions and body language. This is especially important when seeking out high emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage ones own emotions, as well as the emotions of others.Click To TweetConsider social sensitivitySocial skills are critical to a healthy group dynamic. Social sensitivity is the proficiency of an individual to identify, perceive, and understand cues and contexts in social interactions. Its also about being socially respectful to others. Having high levels of social sensitivity makes someone more likable and successful in all relationships.Screen for social sensitivity during your hiring process by bringing in top candidates for job auditions. This new hiring trend is a nice option for vetting candidates for highly-collaborative roles. Bring in candidates for a day of work with their potential co-workers. Rather than tackling a big project during that time, have them sit in on a team brainstorming session. Hone in on what candidates say and how they say it. Are they considerate of others ideas? Are they willing to speak up? Do they seem to seek the spotlight? Ideas arent the goal of this audition. Assess how each individual candidate gels with the current team and observe communication and reactions. And dont forget to let the current employees weigh in during the process.Gauge the social sensitivity of candidates by teaming them up with current employees for a job audition.Click To TweetIncorporate potential team members in the interview processWhen it comes to hiring for group dynamics, the rea l MVPs of the interview process are the employees who would be teamed up with the new hire. Make your interview process as collaborative as possible. Start by drafting interview questions as a team, as well as determining a list of skills and qualifications required to ensure the new hire would be invaluable to the current team dynamics. This is also a great opportunity to explore video interviews. They are the perfect way to boost collaboration in the hiring process. If you cant gather as a group to watch, team members can review recorded live interviews on their own time and take notes or make comments on each candidate. Establishing a collaborative hiring process that focuses on seeking out emotional intelligence and social sensitivity is sure to create a powerful group dynamic within your organization.