The term “company culture” has become a popular term many businesses are using to attract new talent - with the emphasis on having a good culture.
A company culture is the shared values and beliefs a business has which is evident in how its people interact with each other. It encompasses the working environment with the company mission along with the leadership styles and goals of the business.
A good company culture could cover:
Several employee benefits that reflect how a business values its employees and looks after them based on what is on offer.
Effective solutions that provide good internal communication – especially during a crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Working on a growth mindset culture to encourage personal development and employee morale.
So if your company is perceived to have a positive culture with some of the above, and you are hiring someone new, how do you know if they are good fit for your company and what they will add to your team?
Let’s talk about how you can find this out by identifying the differences between hiring for a Culture Fit or for a Culture Add…
The Difference Between Culture Fit and Culture Add
Culture fit is where candidates are hired based on their compatibility with the company values, its ethos and how well they would fit in the existing team.
Culture add is where candidates are hired based on how they complement your plans to improve and where your culture is lacking.
While culture fit is a more comfortable way to hire, culture add diversifies the skillset your team has. Both ways offer different benefits and drawbacks to hiring but there is one that outweighs the other as a more valuable way to recruit…
Why You Shouldn’t Hire Based on Culture Fit
A culture fit process means you are likely to hire more of the same and might exclude candidates who don’t fit the current culture. Therefore, missing out on more subtle traits from an applicant, like their personality and communication style.
You’re then limiting the talent you do recruit, creating an environment that hinders innovative thinking. The more of the same people will just mean more of the same results, therefore, you might experience some resistance when wanting to expand the business.
And at its worst, culture fit justifies prejudice and preference which can lead to discrimination and unfair treatment of those who do not fit a preconceived culture model.
How Culture Add Improves the Business
Culture add is about hiring people with different demographics. People from different backgrounds, who have had individual life experiences, can provide contrasting perspectives, interesting opinions and transferrable insights.
Ultimately, a more diverse team will provide quicker and more effective problem-solving solutions in the workplace, as talented optimized companies spend 31% less time on people problems. As well as help increase diversity within your team.
However, ensure to look beyond the factors such as race, ethnicity and gender. Think about what is lacking in your current culture and how the candidate can contribute to diversifying the team based on their beliefs, opinions and experiences.
A study by Boston Consulting Group found that companies with a more diverse leadership team have 19% higher innovation revenues. This shows that increasing the diversity within a senior team, and therefore broadening the scope of a company’s culture, leads to more innovative and improved financial performance.
Businesses that have a more dynamic environment are more proactive to change. A company’s culture is crucial to their success so by recruiting to culture add could have the potential for 34% higher employee performance and higher Glassdoor ratings.
Recruit For Culture Add
If you are looking to hire a new talent, based on how the candidate adds to your culture, then we are here to help!
At Next Generation, we offer bespoke solutions to deliver the right people to fill your workforce openings so get in touch with us today by calling our team on +353(1)6629720 or dropping them an email enquiries@nextgeneration.ie
