New starters at an organisation usually burst onto the scene with fresh ideas. But potential misunderstandings with existing co-workers may cause friction, especially if they are already set with a prescribed process. We take a closer look into how businesses can improve on harnessing these talents to incubate innovative thinking.

Business News Wales spoke to Paolo Moscuzza, a Partner and Chartered Business Psychologist at OE Cam in Cambridge, to find out exactly what a “disruptive talent” is, what the most common scenarios OE Cam has been helping guide their clients on, and what the benefits of harnessing the creativity of such an individual could be when done in a positive and inclusive manner:

OE Cam defines the term disruptive talent as the innovators who see the world differently, finding new ways of doing things whilst rejecting the ‘tried and true’ solutions.

We asked Paolo about why ‘culture fitting’ in businesses is preferred rather than giving disruptive talent the opportunities to influence change within their organisations:

“Organisations that harness disruptive talent recognise that it is difficult if you bring someone in who thinks really differently from other people. They are going to ask really difficult questions, they may even come across annoying, they’re going to persist and be tenacious on things, they’re going to challenge assumptions that exist.”

“[These personalities] are extreme, but they need the right people around them.”

Are disruptive talents as disruptive as they are made out to be? Or is it simply that good intentions are met with misunderstanding? Paolo says:

“You’ve got to ask the right question, which is how do we get there quicker? – And by asking the right question, which is what disruptive talent do, [we] find different ways to get there”