Understanding Cultural Fit
Forbes Magazine, Harvard Business Review, the Globe and a slew of other well known sources for reliable business news have been writing a lot about cultural fit. Cultural fit deals with how well one fits in with the culture of the organization they work for. Characteristics like language, work ethic, vision and values that exist within the organisation’s culture should ideally match those individuals working there.
The Business News Daily recently released an article stating:
“Cultural fit is a concept that can be hard to define, but everyone knows when it is missing. Imagine a company founder who believes that an open office plan and team projects promote creativity and progress, but whose employees are overwhelming introverts.” Source
Just how important is cultural fit when hiring a new candidate?
Culture Fit vs. Skills
A survey by Allen Associates has found that cultural fit is becoming more important to recruiters than skills. The study found that 47% of HR managers in the survey claimed that finding candidates that fit in with the companies existing culture and teams was their top criteria when hiring. Only 27% of HR managers who participated in the survey thought that experience was most important and 26% thought skills and qualifications were just as important as cultural fit.
When asked why cultural fit was so important, many said that skills and experience can often be acquired or enhanced through training whereas personal attributes are much harder to change.
If you agree that cultural fit is as important or more important than skills, stay tuned for our next article about how to better assess and select candidates in the interview process.
Sources: