How to Use an Integrator in Your Company

Integrator services seem to have become a necessity nowadays. With so many things happening simultaneously and with hybrid work models on the rise, it simply isn’t sustainable to not pay attention to differentiation and integration efforts.

Businesses are so hectic that it is necessary to keep everything and everyone aligned but still retain sufficient levels of agility to be able to react immediately should the need arise.

The role of an integrator is to — well, integrate — and to achieve this complex goal, integrators must be exceptional leaders.

It’s no easy feat to execute the business plan and provide cadence alone, let alone keep everyone in the loop and keep accountable for the profit and loss results.

What IS an Integrator?

The term "integrator" was coined by Gino Wickman in his best-selling business books Traction and Rocketfuel. You typically learn about integrators when implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) as a management practice for your company. 

"An Integrator is a person who is the tie-breaker for the leadership team, is the glue for the organization, holds everything together, beats the drum (provides cadence), is accountable for the P&L results, executes the business plan, holds the Leadership Team accountable, and is the steady force in the organization." (EOS Worldwide). Plus, every business implementing the EOS management system needs an integrator.

Hiring Integrators

Often, integrators come from a managerial background within a business. However, sometimes a business simply doesn’t have the right person capable of delivering.

That’s why there are integrators with notable experience in major companies who offer their services on a contact basis.

When choosing an integrator for your business, make sure that the person of your choice has both the right mindset and the right skill set.  

Some of the basic skills you should pay attention to include:

• A skill set compatible with the industry
• Alignment with the company’s core values
• Similar business vision
• Clarity and a new perspective
• Innovative ideas
• Positive overall disposition
• Solutions that will fill the gaps in business procedures
• Solutions to deal with errors in business procedures

Some of the basic traits you should pay attention to include:

• Decision making
• Business and data analysis skills
• Situational leadership skills
• People management skills
• Performance assessment skills
• Contribution skills

The finest of integrators are graced with balanced behavior patterns, decision-making skills rooted in knowledge and competence instead of in positional authority, a sense of unity, an ability to resolve all kinds of disputes and conflicts in an efficient manner, and a balanced orientation.

Integrators must be versed in soft skills. Demonstrating a suitable behavior and the ability to strike balance between the extremes is crucial.

Finally, there is a way to tell whether someone has the capacity to become an integrator, if you’re thinking of hiring someone from your company. This method is based on observing candidates needs rather than expertise, as follows:

• The need for affiliation —  the finest of integrators pay more attention to others’ feelings and aspirations. As a rule, they will try to establish friendly relationships and take on more tasks that enable them to deepen their interactions.
• The need for power — people who are in pursuit of influence have a good predisposition to become good integrators. You’ll recognize ideal candidates by observing whether they take on leadership roles willingly
•  The need for achievements —this one may seem odd but it’s true nevertheless. Namely, efficient integrators don’t yearn for personal achievements as much as average integrators do.

Businesses May Differ, But Their Needs Aren’t Necessarily Unique

While it holds true that each and every company is unique, it is also undeniable that every company employs people with certain skills and expertise. E.g., some universal roles include: CEO, CFO, QA, accountant, bookkeeper, office manager, safety manager, and marketing manager.

The same may well be said for integrators. Even the most successful of businesses won’t stay on top too long if they don’t integrate their operations efficiently.

The trouble — the integrator role doesn’t have specific requirements.

Integrators simply must be versed in so many things that sometimes even novices with sufficient levels of enthusiasm may prove a better choice than weathered managers with no interest in the matter.

In addition, large businesses undeniably need more than one integrator. In fact, nowadays there are people who boast of specializing in various sub-integrator roles, e.g., business integration, system integration, and so on.

Do Integrators Need Additional Training?

This is a million-dollar question. Certainly, everyone needs continual improvement, but how to teach a rather specific set of skills to people from different walks of life?

With one thing you can’t go wrong, though. Integrators need to master people skills, meaning that cross-cultural training is always a good idea, especially for large companies employing remote international teams.

This is a no-brainer, right?

Remote teams are often composed of people from different backgrounds and cultures, so cultural sensitivity should be prioritized.

And technology is a big part of things as well. Even an online business can benefit from integrator services.

Key Takeaways

Integrators will help you diversify your workforce and streamline processes (not to mention that they’ll add value). Not only are these people capable of simplifying performance management, but they also deliver purpose clearly.

Sadly, performance management frameworks are often unreliable when it comes to individual performance. Integrators can help here, too. By integrating and diversifying employees’ respective roles, they will improve your business in more ways than one.