Got Chemistry?

We're pretty sure that at some point in your life, you've been asked a version of the following question:

If you were stranded on a desert island (with plenty of food and water), what or who would you most want with you?

As Business Chemistry practitioners, we suspect that your answer to what you would like to have says a lot about your individual style and preferences. For now, though, let's save that particular exploration for a future team-building event. Instead, let's focus on the question of who . And let's assume that you're limited to a handful of people.

Setting aside the consideration of whether or not it's cruel to subject anyone else to your island fate, most people would probably answer with some combination of family and friends. Or perhaps you would choose a collection of intriguing, famous personalities (after all, this IS a hypothetical, so why not hang out with A-list movie stars and gurus?). Or maybe you'd opt for people with relevant skills, like a survivalist, an engineer, or a doctor, for instance. Maybe if you're lucky, your individual social sphere captures the Venn overlap of each of these categories. Most of the time, though, you'll likely have to make trade-offs between categories in selecting your fellow castaways.

Of course this is a contrived scenario, but in a work context we'd argue this question is not so hypothetical. We don't want to be overdramatic and suggest that business efforts are the equivalent of being stranded on a deserted island (at least not typically), however in many work environments the expectation is that groups of people who do not know one another well, if at all, will come together to use whatever limited resources are available to achieve specific goals. With plenty of sharks in the water around them if they go astray.

So now let's revisit the original question again, with the island setup as a metaphor for a work effort, and the who pertaining to your potential team. What do the trade-offs look like now? Do you choose the people you know really well and are comfortable with'the friends and family equivalent? Do you choose people who have a history of success in their respective domains'the business-version of movie stars and gurus? Do you choose people who have essential skills and expertise'the survivalists and doctors? How will you make your decision? And how will you get the most out of your choice once you do?

Since this is the concluding chapter of a book entitled Business Chemistry , it should be obvious that at least one of the factors we think you should consider is the individuals' working styles. Whether you're launching a raft to reach civilization or launching a new product to increase market penetration, your success can hinge on having diverse perspectives available and on crafting the kind of powerful working relationships that make those differences a boon rather than a bust.

Hopefully, by this point in the book, you've also gathered that there isn't a single right answer for how to use Business Chemistry to compose a team and foster relationships that work. There's an element of art as well as science to this. Consider that:

1. 1) Every type brings unique strengths (and unique limitations). While it might be easier to work with similar types, there are clear advantages to diversity if you're willing to make the effort to tap into it.
2. 2) Where and how you use Business Chemistry depends on your objectives. You might take a very different approach, and tap into a different mix of Business Chemistry perspectives, if your goal were to establish a sustainable settlement on that deserted island, for instance, than if your goal were to escape it.
3. 3) People's types are relative and represent preferences in general in a work environment, and might vary depending on the context or with the passage of time. Types are the launch point for understanding others, not the last word on who they are, or what they can or cannot do.

Throughout this book we've offered a number of ways for you to think about, and address, these considerations. As you start to look at the world through a Business Chemistry lens, we suspect you'll begin to expand that list. We also hope that you'll start to consider the relevance of Business Chemistry, not only for the workplace of today, but for the workplace of the future.

So for instance, when you read an article about rapid innovations in bioengineering, you might quickly think about how Drivers might advance the technology, or how Pioneers might embrace such dynamic change, but also how Guardians could create guidance around ethical concerns, or how Integrators could help people understand the potential societal impact and consider options to mitigate negative outcomes.

Or when you think about how to build artificial intelligence into your operations, you might think about what it will be like to have robots interacting with people. Will they be programmed to be perfectly rational, Spock-like beings (extreme Driver-Scientist types)? Or more diplomatic and cautious C3PO-like creations (Integrator-Guardian types)? Or should their working styles be dynamic, adjusting to flex to the person, and the situation, they're interfacing with?

Can you guess which option we're rooting for?

The thing is, unless robots do one day become our overlords, humans will remain a key factor in the emerging business landscape. Indeed, we could, and do, argue that the more digital, virtual, and tumultuous the world becomes, the more humans become the differentiating factor'in the business world and beyond. Algorithms and data are incredible raw ingredients, but their business value depends in large part on people's ability to transform them into something valuable. To create alignment around where and how to use them. To inspire adoption and change. To build powerful relationships that can unleash the potential of both technology and people.

This is the kind of transformation we hope you'll seek after reading this book, whether you're looking to change the world or just your next meeting. Whether your goal is to turn difficult relationships around, to manage your boss or your reports more effectively, to influence and connect with clients, customers, and stakeholders, or to tap into the unique strengths of different people, Business Chemistry can get you there. The suggestions we've provided throughout this book may be nuanced, but they're also practical, based on years of research and real-world application. This is something you can start doing today, whether you simply start using Business Chemistry as a common language to talk about different preferences, or whether you re-architect your team to engage all the types.

Regardless of how you adopt Business Chemistry, we believe that from now on you will look at the world around you a little differently. Like a hidden pattern revealed, once you've become aware of Business Chemistry, you'll see it everywhere. And therein lies the magic.