When I work with an organization looking to hire the right talent, they often talk about looking for candidates who are a “culture fit” for their organization. This is a well-intentioned but misguided approach—one that can lead to bias and prevent us from finding people who add value to an organization’s culture rather than those who just fit in. It can also get in the way of hiring someone who truly has the needed skills and experience to do the work.
When most people talk about whether a candidate is a “culture fit” for the organization, what they really mean is whether they’d want to grab a coffee or a drink with them. I have heard both hiring managers and search committees say of a candidate that “They answered all the questions perfectly and can do the job, but I don’t see them meshing with our team. I’m not sure they’ll fit in.” This can lead interviewers to seek candidates with whom they have a personal connection or feel comfortable rather than someone who can contribute meaningfully to the organization’s mission and help them achieve their goals.
Why Culture Fit Falls Short
- Exclusion of Valuable Talent: Emphasizing culture fit may lead you to overlook highly skilled candidates who could contribute significantly to an organization’s mission but might not fit a perceived mold.
- Contributing to Bias: Relying on cultural fit can introduce biases, as it can lead to valuing candidates with similar backgrounds or shared interests, unintentionally excluding people with diverse perspectives.
- Homogeneity in the Workplace: Like assembling a puzzle, a diverse team brings together unique pieces that collectively create a more comprehensive picture. Homogeneous teams may lack the varied experience and perspectives necessary for organizational success.
- Stifling Creativity and Innovation: Nonprofits thrive on innovation, and a culture-fit driven approach can stifle creativity and effective problem-solving by favoring familiarity over diverse perspectives.
Let’s dig into how your organization can go about finding employees that add to your culture and advance your nonprofit’s mission and priorities.
Finding Candidates that Add to Your Workplace Culture
- Ask How They Will Contribute: Shift the focus from fitting in to adding value. Ask yourself, and discuss with your colleagues, how the candidate’s unique skills and experiences will contribute to your organizational goals and priorities.
- Value Unique Perspectives: Recognize how a diversity of experiences and perspectives can foster creativity and bring fresh ideas to the table.
Ensuring an Inclusive Hiring Process
- Be Aware of Your Own Biases: Acknowledge and address biases that may influence the interview process. Build a culture that allows colleagues to bring attention to biases if they arise in interview debrief conversations.
- Create a Diverse Candidate Pool: Actively seek out candidates from diverse backgrounds to ensure a broad range of perspectives and experiences in your talent pool.
- Open-Mindedness in Candidate Assessment: Be open-minded about the backgrounds and experiences a qualified candidate might have. Focus on the skills and competencies required for the role.
- Use a Diverse Interview Panel: Include individuals from various backgrounds in the interview process to bring a diversity of perspectives to the candidate assessment process. This can help minimize bias.
A Case Study
Recently, I worked with an organization searching for an Executive Director to succeed someone who had served in that role for nearly a decade. The Board was understandably nervous about the change, and initially, they felt it was important to find someone similar in demeanor and personality to the outgoing ED: someone who would “fit in” seamlessly with their executive team. We worked with the Hiring Committee to identify the priority competencies for the position, and they thoughtfully assessed candidates against those competencies throughout the interview process. This Committee remained very aware of the biases they brought to the table and frequently highlighted them in their discussions. Ultimately, they realized that the candidate who would bring transformative change to the organization and help them to achieve their strategic goals was not the candidate who fit in best, but rather the one who would push the staff and the Board to think differently about how to reach their goals.
By valuing diversity of experiences and backgrounds and focusing on competencies, organizations can build strong and effective team cultures. How will you move away from a traditional culture-fit mindset and adopt a more expansive and inclusive approach?
