Hiring requirement: culture fit?

“Next to experience, expertise, and skill, the candidate should be a culture fit!”

This is a requirement recruiters and hiring managers hear more and more often.

>But what does it actually mean for a candidate to be a culture fit?

From Code18 AG’s research on team dynamics, we know that the highest-performing teams are those in which qualities are balanced – teams that are neither too homogeneous nor too heterogeneous.

If we are all the same, nobody questions anything. If we are too different, we may struggle to find consensus.

Culture and culture fit are often intangible and live between the lines – in values, beliefs, behaviors, and working styles. In a global context, they become even more complex.

Whenever terminology becomes difficult to grasp, I tend to turn to etymology.

>Before the 16th century:
Colere –  to tend, guard, till, cultivate, care for, honor
Cultura – cultivation of land

>From the 16th century onward:
Personal refinement – the cultivation of the mind, intellect and moral.
The collective cultivation of human thought, arts, institutions, and beliefs within a particular group.

This provides an interesting perspective on culture:

What do we want to cultivate, protect, honor, and care for as a team and organisation?

Culture is not static.
It is not always visible.
It requires action.
It needs care.
And evolves over time.

So, back to the question:
Is the candidate a culture fit?

Teams and aspects of teams such as culture are living systems and therefore not easy to define, assess, and hire for.

Code18 AG has identified the 18 qualities that define what a team needs to succeed in a specific moment and in a specific constellation.

In the Code18 system, culture is reflected and assessed through qualities such as Values, Origin, and Communication.

Instead of assessing just culture fit, it assesses team fit. Does a candidate bring the qualities that strengthen team chemistry and, consequently, performance.

What other ways do you see to identify culture fit?

I am a big fan of learning through action and experience. That is why our Leadership Spectrum Online format provides a practical training ground for leadership and workplace challenges such as culture.

On 30 June at 4:00 PM CET, we will host an informal, open “Meet the Leadership Spectrum Team” call. Send an email to welcome@marina-and-team.com to join us.

Let’s talk team
MARINA&TEAM