What is Culture Fit?
The Culture Fit hiring strategy dates back to the 1970’s. Research conducted during this time stated that employees were happier and more productive when they worked with people similar to them. This finding led hiring managers to look for candidates who shared company values and fit in with other employees and the organization as a whole.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to create a positive work environment, but the Culture Fit approach often ends up dismissing qualified and able applicants from diverse backgrounds. Unfortunately, this strategy can prevent people of differing backgrounds, races, and religions from having a fair chance at employment. While many companies still use the Culture Fit model, others are adopting a more inclusive approach: Culture Add.
What is Culture Add?
Culture Add is the idea that progress is made from cognitive friction, or the tension caused by having opposing viewpoints. Hiring people with different personalities and perspectives is sure to create some conflict, but getting your team out of their comfort zone is a great way to encourage personal and professional growth.
In order to create healthy and productive dissent in teams, psychological safety must be present. Psychological safety is the freedom to express yourself without the fear of being judged by those in your surrounding environment.
Instead of looking for people who fit in with their coworkers, the Culture Add approach celebrates candidates’ differences. The goal is that they’ll bring fresh ideas, leading to creative problem-solving and forward thinking. Hiring someone with qualities that your current employees lack creates a stronger team, leading to more success for your company.
How to Adopt the Culture Add Strategy
It may seem challenging to implement a new hiring strategy, but adopting the Culture Add approach is simpler than you think. Many hiring managers start by developing a rubric-based scoring system that assigns point values to different job requirements. By defining the expectations for assessment and keeping managers focused on qualifications, this system reduces bias and avoids focus on Culture Fit.
Sometimes, hiring managers find it difficult to adapt to the Culture Add process. If this happens, recruiters should inquire why the applicant isn’t a good match for the job. They can ask questions like:
- “What are you really looking for in this role?
- What skills are necessary?”
- “Why don’t you believe the candidate is a good cultural fit?”
These questions help hiring managers consider where resistance is coming from. Overall, this system helps foster a more inclusive hiring process that leads to a more diverse and higher-performing team.
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