er to the other. The same is true in advertising and creative services, where teams offer themselves to prospective clients and employers based on their collective achievements. We have not seen this very much in the corporate world, but it’s on its way. A history of productive collaboration is just as valuable in the corporate sphere as it is in these other fields. But traditionally, corporate operators have tended to seek, and fill, roles based on their function rather than institutional knowledge and collaborative history. What’s changed? Nearly everything, at least as far as the impact of Covid goes. This is only one of many areas in which the rulebook is out the window. More employees – and businesses – are becoming aware that not only are there zombie businesses in the economy, there are also zombie business units within otherwise healthy businesses that are likely to be cut altogether when the wage subsidies are removed. Employees within these units are realising that they are worth more as a set than they are as individual pieces, and they’re making overtures to prospective employers on that basis. With revenue forecasts uncertain, valuations unstable and CEOs unwilling to pay the goodwill premium associated with acquisitions, hiring mobile teams of high-skilled senior executives presented a compelling proposition. In a way it’s the reverse of buying a business, where you acquire the brand but risk losing the relationships of the previous owner. In this scenario, we acquire the talent and their collective reputation and relationships without paying the premium associated with transferring corporate ownership. Look before you leap Such a move is not without risks. Senior staff whose skills are in demand commonly have strict restraint of trade clauses in their employment contracts and spurned employers can be notoriously litigious. Hirers must be careful to structure contracts and set clear guidelines so they and their new employees aren’t inadvertently exposed to liability in this area.   Leaders considering this option should hold themselves to the same level of preparation as if they are conducting a corporate acquisition. This means doing your due diligence ahead of any action. You should make discreet inquiries to assess the prospective team’s reputation, their relationships, their expertise and their history. If you’re looking to add a capability or to scale up as a result of these acquisitive hires, you need to make a thorough business case for your venture. If the team is expected to build its own business pipeline, what targets are you going to set to ensure that work remains on track? What currently unmet customer needs will they be filling? If your plan involves growing a division, how is that growth going to happen, and what indicators will tell you whether that is working or not? Given the disruption that comes with shifting new people into an organisation, it’s not reasonable to expect a 45-degree growth incline right from the beginning. But you do need to look at the total value of remuneration and entitlements for the team over, say, two years, and track the value they build against it in some way. Remember, you do not have the option of writing down these hires in the same way you would with a less-than-perfect acquisition. Set achievable targets within the probationary period, and treat it like a cooling-off period. These targets will be the metric for whether you proceed with these acquisitive hires. Hiring in this way is new territory for corporates, and there are going to be some who get it right and some who don’t. While there are clear upsides in an environment where acquisitions are off the table, you have to think about this as a corporate expansion for it to work, not simply as HR business as usual. Craig Padoa is the managing director of Wanzl Australia. A C-suite growth specialist, he has deep expertise leading complex business turnarounds in retail. He has been CEO of fashion retailer Siren and has held senior management roles in Pacific Brands companies as well as consulting as a business turnaround specialist for KPMG and Korda Mentha.