Hiring
to Fit Your Corporate Culture
Much
has been made of the concept of corporate culture in recent
years. Culture is an elusive quality of an organization and
may best be defined as the collection of habits and beliefs
that spell out, often unwritten, “the way we do things
around here,” to put it casually.
However, as elusive culture is to define, most management
experts agree that a strong culture is an essential ingredient
for success. Some companies value high achievement as a culture.
Other companies feel that creativity and diversity of opinion
are important features of their culture. Some companies operate
in a very lean, cost-conscious manner.
The goal of finding people who fit the corporate culture is
far from unique. Many businesses today are investing time
and effort into finding and hiring employees who fit with
their organization's style.
DEFINING
A UNIQUE CULTURE
When people say they have a `culture,' it's a nebulous thing. Even
though it is hard to do, defining the organization’s unique
culture in some way makes it possible to hire people that ‘fit’
that unique culture.
Unfortunately, many organizations can't adequately define their
cultures and so miss out on employing people who easily integrate
themselves with “the way we do things.”
Finding the correct balance between shared values and different
points of view can be challenging. It requires a clear understanding
of the organization's values and agreement on those values. It also
requires that those values are exemplified and used as standards
of behaviour at every stage of the hiring process -from recruitment
and hiring, to training, to promotion and termination decisions.
It's not an easy task.
Hiring based on shared values is great -as long as the values are
apparent to everyone in the company. Unfortunately, many companies
either cannot articulate their values or confuse them with their
goals and objectives.
Goals are defined as what the organization intends to do and values
provide the guidelines for getting there in a moral and ethical
manner. Values are absolutely critical to success, but most companies
don't know what those values are. They're more intent on where they're
going, not on how they're going to get there.
Organizations that fail to identify their core values are bound
to keep missing the mark with every new hire. Hiring employees that
are a poor ‘fit’ with the culture is a certain prescription
for turnover and performance problems.
Careful Use of Culture
Having a clear sense of one’s own corporate culture enables
the organization to screen potential employees against it. However,
it is important to ensure that the recruiters understand the difference
between trying to hire someone that meets professional and cultural
needs and hiring based on stereotypes and first impressions.
Putting together a workforce that is too similar may lead to a tendency
to repeat the familiar and not hire people who will stir things
up and make change possible. If the corporate culture is dysfunctional,
the corporation will inevitably hire dysfunctional people. If the
company is managed through intimidation, it will only hire either
people who are submissive, or people are bullies themselves.
In using culture and values in hiring, what one is really trying
to do is ensure that recruiting mistakes are minimized and workforce
effectiveness is increased. This is done by getting people who think
about things in a different and sometimes more creative way and
who hold similar values as the organization.
Skills vs. Fit
Hiring for the right skills is still very important to the success
of an organization. If you don’t have the right skills, then
no amount of cultural ‘fit’ will help you succeed. If
you can identify the skills that successful employees will need
to bring to your workplace every day then you will be able to build
a strong skills-based company. Adding the cultural ‘fit’
side of the equation is the icing on the cake.
The Right Balance
Hiring for fit requires a fine balancing act. You have to obtain
the best skills and competencies you can find while at the same
time finding the right fit with your culture. Hiring for culture
and values fit ensures that the prospective employee shares the
same attitude and orientation as your organization. Value and culturally
driven organizations work hard to protect and enhance their unique
culture. It is only sensible to try to find people who will help
you move the culture forward.
Finally, the balancing of diverse viewpoints with the common culture
is just trying to get everyone on the same page while allowing for
different perceptions. Holding fast to the core values while hiring
great skills and creating a climate where diversity of opinion and
ideas is truly a winning combination.
