Diversity and inclusion in marketing can improve business results. Just as building a team from different personal backgrounds yields positive results, a team with diverse professional backgrounds can benefit a martech team and its organization as a whole.
Fortunately, many aspects of an individual’s career can provide diverse insights.
The growing complexity of martech: why diversity of expertise is important
As the martech field continues to evolve, it increasingly involves practitioners from a variety of disciplines, including:
Creative. Product management. Strategy. Data. Programming. Enterprise architecture. Platform management. User activation. Channel specialists. Confidentiality. Legal. And many others.
As a result, martech practitioners often collaborate with a wide range of partners. After all, martech is a team sport. A project to establish robust cross-channel orchestration requires input from people from different parts of the industry. organizational chart.
Building effective martech teams with a broad skill set
This highlights the importance of train martech teams with practitioners from different professional backgrounds. For example, understanding data and how it flows between systems is essential when working on orchestration and personalization efforts. A martech practitioner with significant experience in data management and analysis will be invaluable for such initiatives. Including people with data-driven experience on a martech team is a prudent strategy.
Dig Deeper: By the numbers: diversity and inclusion are good business
Martech teams can take on many different roles, from evaluating platforms to coordinating work across multiple workflows. The roles played by a team may vary from project to project. This may differ by organization and be influenced by factors such as size, sector and culture.
A team with broad expertise is invaluable because it can effectively support the many stakeholders involved in any martech initiative.
Generalists and specialists: finding the right balance for success
Another important consideration regarding team members is their skills profile. No one can truly master everything, so it helps to look at individuals through the lens of generalists or specialists.
This concept comes from the Agile software development community, which defines I-shaped and T-shaped practitioners based on the key skills a team needs.
T-shaped team members are generalists. They are versatile and skilled in several areas, but tend to excel in only one or two. They can contribute to a variety of tasks, although they generally do not produce exceptional results in a single area. Generalists may have gained experience through martechsuch as Paid Search Manager, Website Content Manager, and Scrum Product Owner.
I-shaped team members are specialists. Their expertise focuses on a narrow subset of skills. They excel in specific areas, but may not be as helpful when the team needs support outside of their specialty. Specialists often come to martech from a specific career path, such as data analysis.
Generalists and specialists bring valuable assets to a team, and having a mix of both is very beneficial. This is another reason why diversity in career paths is crucial.
Harness product and ecosystem knowledge
It’s also helpful to consider the diversity of careers in relation to martech products and ecosystems. Adobe and Salesforce are two leading companies with competing ecosystems.
Martech product specialists have advantages and limitations. They can fully utilize a product’s capabilities, but risk missing out on broader developments within its category. Additionally, a product that is best for an organization at one time may no longer be the best fit as the product category evolves. Teams need to stay on top of these changes.
Even if an organization is not currently considering migrating, it could still benefit from having a specialist from the other product ecosystem. They could offer new and valuable perspectives that would improve the team’s approach.
How other work experiences enrich martech
Due to their diverse professional experiences within different companies, individuals bring a wealth of skills, perspectives and tools. For example, some organizations use the Waterfall framework for project management, while others rely on Agile methodologies like Kanban and Scrum. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and having team members familiar with different approaches can provide valuable insight for any initiative.
Additionally, organizations pursue various goals to meet their unique needs. Some focus on developing soft skills such as coaching, while others offer professional development programs or provide cross-training opportunities through job exchange programs. These skills and training are invaluable and should not be overlooked, especially as other organizations have already invested.
Dig Deeper: The war on DEI hits marketing and hurts business
If organizations are concerned about investing in people who are likely to leave, they should also consider the cost of not investing in those who stay. These are key factors to consider when reviewing resumes, conducting interviews, and interacting with team members in daily interactions.
Expanding the Talent Pool: The Value of Non-Traditional Pathways
So far, the career diversity discussed has focused on areas closely related to marketing technology. However, people from very different career backgrounds – such as chemistry, teaching and forestry – can also provide significant value.
This diversity is reflected not only in professional careers, but also in diplomas. For example, I majored in international relations in college.
These individuals offer a fresh perspective, often from fields outside of marketing or related technologies, that can be extremely valuable.
Enablement and empowerment in Martech
Even if diversity is beneficial As such, teams and organizations must also create an environment where people feel safe to express themselves and bring different perspectives. This requires a concerted effort at many levels.
It takes courage to challenge seniority and organizational inertia by saying, “The way we’re doing things isn’t working – let’s consider something different.” » I know I can improve at expressing myself in these situations, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this.
Embrace diversity
As the martech field continues to evolve, it becomes increasingly important for practitioners and teams to collaborate with a growing number of stakeholders. Building a diverse team is challenging, but embracing that diversity is an entirely different task. The effort is worth it because it can lead to greater success.
Contributing authors are invited to create content for MarTech and are chosen for their expertise and contribution to the martech community. Our contributors work under the supervision of the writing and contributions are checked for quality and relevance to our readers. The opinions they express are their own.
