Hiring for Cultural Fit: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
A good cultural fit with your new hires helps protect against a "flame-out." Hiring for cultural fit has been a common idea in the business world for decades. Recently, the advice circulating in the human resources sector has been to put less emphasis on hiring for cultural fit. So what is it that makes hiring for ‘cultural fit’ good? What makes it bad? If you’re interested in hearing about the good, the bad and the ugly of hiring for cultural fit, read on.
The truth is – companies should be hiring with cultural fit in mind. However, this idea can go array when a hiring manager has a foggy definition of “cultural fit.” What is considered cultural fit? What if the company’s stated values are not in synch with its culture? Is it chemistry with the candidate? Is it the hiring manager’s instinct? If so, there may be reason to be alarmed. Of course harmony is desired in the workplace, but if hiring managers who have an unfitting definition of cultural fit are screening candidates, great hiring opportunities can be missed.
Although there are some positives to hiring like-minded people, there can be just as many downfalls. Creating a team that is too homogenous can be dangerous; new viewpoints can be overlooked and problem-solving skills may become weak. This can result in an environment where everyone gives each other a pat on the back; ideas aren’t challenged; answers are accepted; and brainstorming doesn’t reach its full potential. In turn, this can cause poor decision making, which could potentially lead to profit loss.
Before going through the hiring process, the hiring manager must analyze his or her definition of cultural fit. Cultural fit should be centered on a company’s values, mission and philosophy. However, if these areas are poorly communicated and/or misinterpreted, then it poisons the definition of cultural fit, which could result in poor hiring decisions. In 2014, Glassdoor conducted a survey, which asked participants who in their company was in the best position to increase diversity. The No. 1 answer was hiring managers (with 45 percent of the vote), next was the CEO (42 percent), followed by HR (40 percent). Hiring managers have the opportunity to create change. However, hiring a diverse team will only succeed if cultural fit is in line with a company’s values, mission and philosophy.
Employees within the organization must also be open-minded to change and diversity. As the adage goes – if nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies. There are a few simple things a company can do to be sure it’s hitting the mark when it comes to hiring for cultural fit.
Define and analyze the company’s values, mission and philosophy. If these areas are suffering, then the company’s culture is probably suffering as well.
Be sure the hiring manager has a clear definition of “cultural fit.”
Consider administering scenario-based questions and/or exercises during the interview process. The candidate will have to use problem solving and creative thinking, which can aid in honest answers.
Companies should train interviewers. Professional training minimizes unintentional bias and provides insight to behavioral-based interviewing.