Getting the Right Cultural Fit

By Karen Schmidt

The "war for talent" and the "shrinking employment pool" are phrases I hear regularly in HR and management circles, to explain why otherwise unsuitable people are hired by organizations, people who don't work out and either have to be performance managed or quickly leave of their own accord. Whilst time wasted on finding a replacement might appear to be the main cost of this mistake, the truth is that the flow-on effects to the engagement levels of your remaining staff are far more costly and damaging.

A recent Australian survey of 223 hiring managers found that 90% believe that recruiting for cultural fit is important. However, only 36% always assess for cultural fit. The same survey found that one of the main reasons hiring managers ignored a poor cultural fit was the tight labor market and the shortage of candidates.

Think about the last mismatched hire you had. Did he or she appear good on paper and great at the interview but just didn't seem to meet your expectations on the job? Chances are it was all about the wrong cultural fit. Cultural fit refers to an individual's ability to fit with the organization's values and mode of operation. It is not something that can be developed in a person as your values are almost impossible to change. Even if the organization goes through a period of change, it is unlikely that the organizational culture will change greatly.

In the last few months I've had a couple of interesting experiences with clients around the subject of cultural fit. Firstly, I have recently starting running workshops in Malaysia on "Managing Generation X and Gen Y" for the oil and gas industry. Not only am I introducing these managers to the Western value systems that their younger employees are embracing, but I am also being introduced to workplace culture in a predominantly Muslim country. Let me tell you it is quite different to most of the organizations I have experienced in Australia, partly because religious beliefs are at the centre of their cultural beliefs, even amongst non-Muslim staff.

Back in Australia, I have also been working with a client in a consulting capacity to assist in creating an engaged workforce. This organization has a very distinct culture, partly because of the industry in which it operates, and partly because of the style of the founder. Unfortunately, they have recently made some less than ideal hiring decisions. These are people who had the technical skills and experience for the job, just didn't fit the culture. They lacked the high level of energy, ability to multi-task and the capacity to cope with a constantly changing environment - all qualities that are essential for anyone wanting to fit this organization's culture.

When I speak about employee engagement at conferences and seminars, I talk about the 3Rs . . . the right person, the right job and the right manager.

Cultural fit is all about getting the right person for your organization. Someone who "gets" what you are all about. If you are unclear about what constitutes the right cultural fit for your organization, here is an easy to understand example of how organizational cultures can differ even within the same industry. I like to use the example of the three major airlines in Australia . . . Qantas, Virgin Blue and Jetstar. They all offer a similar product (they fly you from A to B safely) but their images are quite different. I can describe each of them in one word to illustrate:

Qantas is conservative, Virgin Blue is cool and Jetstar is economical.

(If you are reading this article outside of Australia I am sure you can substitute your own local airline branding examples here)

Now there is nothing wrong with any of these brands. Each has a target market that is prepared to buy a ticket on the basis of what that airline offers in the way of service. The same is true with people joining an organization. As long as your culture is not toxic (not damaging to the physical, emotional or mental health of your employees) there are people out there who will want to “buy” what you are selling in the way of employment.

The problem arises when employers market themselves as the "Virgin Blue" of their industry but the new employee starts only to discover they have actually joined “Qantas” or “Jetstar”. This is just the same as a frequent flyer who purchases a ticket on Qantas would feel if they arrived at the airport to discover they had been moved to a Jetstar flight. The new employee feels outside his or her “best fit” and resulting behavior will reflect this.

My key message is that you need to be clear on what your culture is, who fits it and who doe not. I know this is true in my role as a professional speaker. Sometimes I am the right cultural fit for a speaking event and sometimes I'm not. I have learnt that you can't be all things to all people. Similarly, as an employer, you need to learn that sometimes it is better to wait for the right person than it is to rush in and hire someone who is the wrong cultural fit.

About the author: Karen Schmidt of Let's Grow, is the re-engagement expert who is on a mission to refresh, reignite and re-engage teams for success. Her contact email address is enquiries@letsgrow.com.au