Culture fit has been put into question as it is perceived to some as a way to hire the same type of people to an organization and in so doing is reducing the diversity as opposed to increasing an organization’s overall effectiveness. In defining your company culture you should look at how diverse ideas, thoughts, and experiences can be included in your company culture. Diversity brings different thought processes to the table hopefully benefiting all that work in an organization by challenging limited thought processes that can reduce the overall effectiveness of a company and its culture.
Group think or “like-minded” people may not challenge the status quo enough to bring ground breaking results/ideas. “Fit” in an organization is how a person’s unique set of skills and experience fit like a puzzle piece into an existing talent gap in an organization. Culture fit is how that person not only fits into the talent gap but into the company overall.
The importance of purpose in an organization is key to the overall company culture. People are looking for organizations with strong purpose that they can believe in. People working toward a common purpose that everyone is on board with is key to an organization’s success. Perhaps purpose/vision/mission should be used more as an indicator for company culture. People from different backgrounds can all rally around purpose as opposed to “culture fit” which insures more diversity in an organization as opposed to cookie-cutter thought processes.
When you are hiring your next executive, look not only to fit for the role and the culture but also a fit for purpose. How well this executive fits in all three areas is key to a successful executive hire. An executive does not have to be the same, to be a potential culture fit for your organization.