Being social beasts, humans have tied their evolutionary paths to being part of a community. Our need to share ideas, exchange resources, and provide safety to each other has hardwired us to thoughts of togetherness. Coming together was no longer driven by core survival, but also about working and becoming better together.
It all starts with a mission. Solving a challenge has historically proven to be a significant trigger for starting communities. Without the purpose and immediate need, there can never be a community. Still, individuals sharing common sets of problems are just a part of the community building mosaic. Even though not exclusively, other criteria need to be met as well. The group is more likely to form if individuals within it share common beliefs, ways of living, or customs. These features are called a distinctive identity and are deeply rooted in every human. Ultimately, a new community needs to find its place within the larger context of the society, one that is not too broad so that the community is rendered indistinct, but not to narrow either, enough to make participation hard or pointless.
Community participation is deeply embedded in our identity. For it to thrive, interesting set events need to be set up at all times, engaging enough for all members to participate, but never too distracting so they’re driven away from the more important things. Once the balance is established, a community is likely to happen. An effective community also establishes a fine balance between self-interest and shared act philosophies. An incentive for participation needs to be introduced, but only alongside the understanding that mutual participation is the only way forward.
Like with the case of every community, it dissipates if neglected by its builders. A community thrives on dedication and the amount of time you invest in it. A part of this dedication depends on the participation multiplier: it is the mutual produce and activity of all its members that helps community progress. With this very crucial, element out of place, the community will spiral down to its death.
At Pandy AI, we approached community building from the perspective of career progression and hiring. A community of bankers and other financial professionals featured both the standard challenges presented above, along with some newly established methodologies we had to introduce to make the community work.
Pandy AI is a digital platform, built upon advanced machine learning algorithms. Despite its advanced technological backend, the very core of the experience remains the idea of establishing a thriving, shared culture community, where professionals can meet and interact with decision-makers from the world’s most prestigious financial institutions (and vice versa).
What would be the bonding agents of one such community? Our goal was to deliver an environment tailored to every professional out there, an environment that:
- Fosters the unique language, values, and rituals already present within the private banking and wealth management world. We created the terms and phrases that directly reflect the language used by the industry.
- Helps every member build and maintain their social and professional capital within our online community. We achieved this by envisioning a sustainable role distribution between the institutional representatives and professionals, one that defines and dictates the tasks and responsibilities for every individual.
- Introduces the feeling of pride and sense of belonging which directly leads to the creation of stronger bonds and immediate trust.
- Ultimately, Pandy AI was designed as a safe space, one that respects the privacy of all members, without sacrificing their engagement.
There are many community elements standing in our talent community. The delivered experience crafts and nurtures relationships and personal interactions that transcend the experience created within the standard recruitment processes. The interactions are self-sustainable and do not require interference by administrators and engagers. A seamless flow of information, the way it is designed to be.
