Marvel’s “The Avengers” & HR Recruitment Strategy: 10 Surprising Analogies
Marvel’s The Avengers is one of the biggest movies of all times, in terms of budget and scale, and is a cult movie for an entire generation of movie-goers. Here are ten HR recruitment strategy analogies, one can draw from the film.
Marvel’s The Avengers is one of the biggest movies of all times, in terms of budget and scale, and is a cult movie for an entire generation of movie-goers. Here are ten HR recruitment strategy analogies, one can draw from the film
1. Seek diverse talents: Each member of the team is superior and special in their own right. Black Widow is great at interrogation and the art of persuasion, and Captain America is a born leader. Nick Fury leads a secret global spy agency and has to respond to Loki’s threats. Apart from those mentioned above, his team has Thor, Hawkeye, Hulk and Iron Man.
2. Recruiting stars: When a company hires top talent and all of them are good in their own right, they struggle to form a team. Companies need a mission statement or a vision to bring them together for a common good. Fury’s challenge is to get all the stars to listen to him for the bigger goal of saving the world, and has to use his wooing skills to keep them happy.
3. Encouraging superstars: Companies use time-worn practices and don’t encourage innovation, but some of them build a workplace culture where there are superstars, where everyone is allowed to innovate and be a shining star. Hulk has to use his strength and Iron Man has to be a maverick or there won’t be greatness; there will only be mediocrity.
4. Feedback and communication: Listening to every employee, apart from offering and receiving feedback is an important aspect of employee engagement. Internal communication is of the essence in any team. If the rest of the team doesn’t listen to Tony Stark, Hulk’s importance wouldn’t have come to light.
5. Importance of job descriptions: A well-chalked-out job description is at the heart of any recruitment policy. A job description helps both employers and employees understand whether the position and person complement each other. Black Widow can never be expected to smash brick walls nor is Iron Man expected to give up his ego.
6. Strategising: Having a strategy is a very important aspect of recruitment, and companies need to ask themselves certain questions: Why do we need these people? Are these the right people and how will we encourage their growth? Offering a growth plan is very important. Black Widow learns of a secret and Iron Man learns of a way to stop the threats of invasion from the enemy, all of this became a possibility when the Avengers came together and made a strategic plan for victory.
7. Branding: Employer branding is creating an image of who you are as a company and why someone should work with you. When one looks at the Avengers as a company, their success lies in their image or branding, that of protecting mankind with their powers. People know their capabilities and believe in them. They have credibility and popularity, individually and collectively. Everyone knows the power of Hulk.
8. Flexibility and open-mindedness: By all means, have a job description and carry out all due diligence and hire an employee for a certain role. But be flexible and assign them roles out of their comfort zones, once in a while to help employees grow as individuals. The Hulk enjoys shattering things, but he has been brought in also for his credentials as a scientist.
9. Bridging generation gaps: Hulk and Iron Man are young; Captain America is over 90 while Thor is thousands of years old! They did come together, despite their varied age groups. Offices have people of all age groups, but the key is to help younger employees learn from the older group. The onus is really on an effective HR policy to ensure this happens.
10. Alignment of goals: The employer/recruiter and candidate have their own set of goals and expectations, and it is only when the two are aligned that there is less turnover. Thor wants to see Loki brought to justice, and the mission of the Avengers matches the same.
OVER TO YOU
What is your favourite Marvel’s The Avengers HR analogy used at your organization?
