The outsider advantage: When to hire strangers in your organisation

Organisations need to get better at hiring outsiders. 

They don’t know the lingo. Or inside jokes. And they’re not familiar with your business. Some HR managers think outsiders won’t contribute or fit in because they don’t “belong”. In other words, hiring outsiders is known as a bad business practice. And while that might be true, you can still use it to your advantage. And flip the negative into a positive.

Whether an organisation is looking to innovate or double down, outsiders come in hot with new thinking and thoughts. They’re often hired to bring about organisational change, boost morale or enter a new market. 

But with every outsider, you need to ensure there are enough insiders to support them. Insiders are members of an organisation who are integrated and already socialised. Think contractors, freelancers and casual employees. If you’re interviewing an insider, make sure they gel well with the outsider.

There are a few things you need to think about to set up the outsider and prepare them for the role, because to create organisational change, you need other employees to buy in. 

In this blog, we’ll explore the difference between an insider and an outsider, why you should embrace outsiders and how to set them up for success.

What’s an insider? 

Insiders are in every organisation.

For better or worse, they’re the employees who have been around for a while and say things like “We gave that a shot last year and it didn’t work” or “Marketing will never approve that, trust me, I’ve been trying for years!”

You need these employees because they understand the process. They have experienced a lot. “Battle-earned”, as they say. And yes, sometimes they come with snarky comments that aren’t productive, but ultimately you need employees who are sceptical when new ideas are being thrown around the room. 

But when you’re looking to bring about organisational change, the balance of an outsider who brings along fresh perspectives and new ideas is a great way to balance the sceptics and realists. 

So what’s the right balance? Is it better to have a more ‘real’ team that understands the business and process, that can get things done the way it’s always been done, or do you need outsiders who bring about change, challenges and opportunities?

Well, it depends on what kind of change you’re trying to bring about. But if you need to bring about organisational change and think an outsider will help you get the buy-in you need, your next hire could be an outsider. Note that both the organisation and the candidate need to be prepared. Simply hiring an outsider and leaving them to their own devices is setting them up for failure.

How to set them up for success 

The first step is to make sure the outsider understands why they were brought into the organisation. 

They need the interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence to speak up and bring about change, or spearhead a new initiative. Naturally, people in your organisation might not respond well. So they need the skills to effectively disagree with others and the status quo, to present an alternative point of view, and to build positive working relationships with insiders. Just being from another industry isn’t enough.

Not everyone is ready to be an outsider. Being different isn’t easy. And employees don’t need to do it alone. We all need support. And for outsiders, that can come in the form of a mentor or a support buddy. Outsiders need colleagues who will stick up for them when they have a contrary or dissenting opinion. Because bringing about organisational change is hard.

Research from Dr. John Kotter shows that 70 per cent of all change efforts fail without outsiders, and the reason for this is that they simply don’t get enough buy-in from enough important people. It’s important to open the door to other candidates from outside the industry and welcome them as legitimate, valuable hires. 

The rewards for both the individual and the organisation are worth it. When outsiders and insiders learn to trade perspectives rather than trade blows, transformation becomes the norm, not the exception.

So here’s the trick. Keep enough employees around who know how the machine runs. Then hire outsiders who wonder why the machine exists at all. Put them in the same room. Bring them coffee. And wait. That’s how change comes around, fast.

About us

Martian Logic has spent years helping HR leaders blend insider know-how with outsider spark. Our intuitive HRIS lets you source non-traditional talent, craft role-specific onboarding journeys, and match each newcomer with the insider buddy who can fast-track buy-in. From skills-based requisitions to change-readiness analytics, we give you the data and workflows to turn fresh perspectives into measurable results, without losing the operational wisdom you’ve already built. Ready to recruit the outsider who’ll spark your next leap forward? Talk to Martian Logic today.