As someone who has been part of hiring decisions, I’ve often heard the hiring rationale that the candidate “would be a good fit with our culture.” As someone who values a culture of teamwork, empowerment, and growth, I used to take that at face value. Find someone highly qualified who will fit right into our group- great!
However, as I started reading articles and soaking up TED talks on the topic, my mind had more questions than answers. The research I found demonstrated the overwhelming benefit diversity brings to the table and the power of our biases in limiting that diversity. I started to question my hiring rationale. Are they a good fit because they sound exactly like us or because they share our same values? Do we share some common interests that we bonded over? Do I appreciate their aligned sense of purpose?
All of these questions led me to the ultimate question we seek to answer when building our teams. How can you honor your organizational culture and still create a team vibrant with a diverse mix of culture, ideas, and experiences? I thought the this article did a great job discussing that distinction: What a culture fit is and is not. And here is a tip: Pressed for time- skip to the last page of the article for the take-home message!
Contributed by Amy Dammarell, Leadership Committee