Culture Fit Definition
Culture Fit involves aligning an organization’s value, needs and work style with the qualities of a candidate. For instance, if a new employee has a work style but the company culture is aggressive and competitive, they may feel uncomfortable and struggle to succeed.
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History of Culture Fit
The concept of Culture Fit dates to the 1980s.
According to an article by researcher Lauren Rivera titled “Think about Who Doesn’t Fit In,” the initial idea was that if companies hired individuals whose personalities, values and skills aligned with the organizations’ approach, employees would feel more connected to their jobs, work harder and stay longer.
A Book, ‘A Collection of Studies,’ was published by The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology on the topic of culture fit in the workplace.
As research on Culture Fit continues to evolve in academia companies have also begun developing their interpretations and approaches to hiring.
Why is Culture Fit important?
Your company culture should reflect the priorities of its founders and management team.
Factors they believe are crucial for the success of the organization. These priorities likely align with the company’s mission statement.
For example, if we consider a company that emphasizes employee driven culture, we will observe an atmosphere of worker autonomy and open communication.
On the other hand, if maintaining an ethical company culture is a priority everyone would adhere to a code of conduct and guidelines.
Reasons for Prioritizing Culture Fit in the Recruitment Process
There are four reasons why prioritizing Culture Fit in the recruitment process is crucial for creating a working environment:
Promoting harmony among employees
When everyone is on the same page, employees can collaborate seamlessly. However, if a new hire is unaware of how things are done at your company, it can lead to frustration for everyone involved.
Enhancing productivity
A workplace where individuals feel comfortable, appreciated and connected to a shared purpose fosters a culture of employees who’re more productive. This is particularly important for millennials – the segment of the workforce today – as they want to make an impact on companies, they believe in.
Reducing recruitment and onboarding costs
When you hire someone who doesn’t fit well with your company culture, they’re unlikely to succeed even if they possess all the job skills.
They may struggle to communicate with colleagues and potentially develop relationships or feel like an outsider.
Unhappy workers are more likely to quit or be terminated due to job performance.
Hiring based on a fit with the company culture helps maintain a work environment.
Even a single individual who doesn’t align well with the existing office culture can negatively impact the atmosphere for everyone. It’s important for business owners and managers to consider a candidate’s personality and compatibility with the company’s culture when evaluating their suitability for the job.
Recruiting for Culture Fit: Important Things to Consider
When going through the hiring process with candidates, it is important to consider their background, skills and how they can contribute to the team from a perspective.
However, accurately assessing a candidate’s compatibility is also crucial. Here the some of the important things to consider if the candidate is culturally fit for your organization:
1. Pose Interview Questions to Assess Culture Fit.
While it may not be possible to assign a value to an individual’s Culture Fit within your organization, you can gauge whether a candidate is likely to work with your current team.
Asking interview questions and carefully listening to their responses is essential.
2. Continuously Evaluate an Employee’s Culture Fit.
Assessing an employee’s fit with the culture goes beyond the screening.
It should be a process. It is believed that through the “employee life cycle” of onboarding, training and daily office interactions, you gain an understanding of someone’s alignment with the culture and whether they are a good match.
FYI: Hiring culture fit people is also important if you aim to transform your workplace culture and make improvements.
Potential Pitfalls to consider in the Culture Fit Hiring Process
While it is important to keep your company’s culture in mind when seeking recruits, it is crucial to remember that you are running a business, not a club.
The primary focus should be on completing work and ensuring that individuals possess the skills.
Although company culture holds significance it should not override factors when making hiring decisions.
Recruiting a candidate relies on factors such as qualifications, skills and experience.
While it may be tempting to focus on hiring for Culture Fit, your business heavily relies on individuals who can get things done. They may work well with the rest of your team but if they cannot deliver the work effectively your bottom line will suffer.
The Evolution of Culture Fit
Assessing Culture Fit will never be perfect. However, every company has the ability to improve their process.
This requires an understanding of your company’s culture, the ability to incorporate it into your hiring process as well as investment in interview training and avoiding bias.
The results hopefully lead to hires who align well with your company culture while also promoting diversity efforts.
FAQs
What are the criteria for culture fit?
Answer: Culture fit refers to the alignment between an individual’s values, beliefs and behavior with those of an organization or group.
Can you provide an example of Culture Fit?
Answer: A great example of Culture Fit is when a competitor with qualities joins a company renowned for its environmentally friendly approach.
How can you tell if an employee doesn’t fit into the company culture?
Answer: They don’t embrace your values. They consistently fail to meet expectations. They get frustrated by rules, communication and systems that don’t bother others. They constantly make choices that are not aligned with the company’s goals or mission.