Why do some "gurus" advise that companies should hire for fit? What does it mean to hire the right person who matches your culture? How is unconscious bias linked with cultural fit? What are the ramifications of hiring for fit in the workplace? What's the difference between cultural fit and discrimination? What assumptions are you making when hiring for cultural fit?

1. Andrea James Jasmine Gartner
In a Nutshell:
Is better performance linked to
hiring for cultural fit?

2. Who are we?
Jasmine Gartner
Trainer & Writer
Employee Engagement, Inclusion &
Unconscious Bias
Andrea James
Consultant & Trainer
Decision-Making

3. Here’s what we’ll do today…
We’ll be discussing selected articles for the next half hour…
… and we’ll finish with a few tips
Then we’ll be around to answer your questions
We’ll be sending you a recording at the end and you can
download the slides

4. Questions
You’ll see questions pop up throughout this webinar – we’d
love to hear what you think!
Use the chat box on right-hand
side of your screen to respond to
our questions.
And also feel free to ask
questions or make comments at
any point.

5. Discussion Point 1
What is culture?
What is ‘cultural fit’?

6. What defines your
organisation’s culture?
Enter your thoughts in the chat box.

7. What does
‘culture’ mean?

8. Jasmine’s definition:
Culture is the learned and shared ideas, values and
behaviours of a group
(strategy and ways of working)

9. “It’s the way we do things around here.”
Culture = behaviours + expectations + unspoken rules
Organisational Culture

10. The Culture of Silicon Valley
http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/organization/discussions_on_digital_the_new_war_for_talent
“The future of talent is that people are not actually wanting to be
employees. They want to have a wide variety of experiences.
They’d like to be a contract hire and live in San Francisco for six
months, then Singapore, and maybe London after that. It’s this
more transient population that may go deep in their particular
skill. They never get bored, and they’re kind of like hired hands.”
“In Silicon Valley, you’ve concentrated
a whole bunch of people who are
risk-friendly into a specific area.”

11. The Culture of Silicon Valley
Behaviours: risk-friendly, pitch in, do or die, self-sufficient
Expectations: contract hire, move around a lot, agile working, goal
driven
Unspoken rules: transience is good; your life outside work is
secondary; you’re McGyver

12. What is ‘cultural fit’?
“A fit is where there is congruence between the norms
and values of the organisation and those of the person”1
- Adrian Furnham
1. http://good.co/blog/2013/03/22/cultural-fit-in-the-workplace-what-it-is-and-why-its-important/
2. http://www.cubiks.com/articles/ThoughtLeadership/Pages/Hireforculturetrainforskill.aspx
“Cultural fit is the way in which an employee connects with the organisational
culture. This culture is formed from the values, vision, norms, working language,
symbols, belief systems and habits of staff, along with their tacit agreement to a set
of acceptable behaviours. When these elements are aligned, they create social
cohesion, and a high level of social cohesion builds strength in the organisation.”2

13. So… why is ‘cultural fit’ important?
Furnham says:
“Because ultimately, it makes everybody happy.
Tough to argue with that!”
http://good.co/blog/2013/03/22/cultural-fit-in-the-workplace-what-it-is-and-why-its-important/
Watch me…

14. Discussion Point 2
Arguments
for
Cultural Fit

15. What are
your experiences
of cultural fit?
Enter your thoughts in the chat box.

16. Effects of Cultural Fit
http://www.helblingsearch.com/uploads/c9eac11f976a47e3b842.pdf

17. Hire Slow & Fire Fast

18. Hire Slow & Fire Fast

19. Hire Slow & Fire Fast

20. Discussion Point 3
Arguments
against
Cultural Fit

21. Tests for ‘cultural fit’
“Would you have a beer with the person?”
“Googliness”
If retention is good, “chances are” so is cultural fit1
1. http://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2015/03/25/good-bad-and-ugly-strong-company-cultures
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/opinion/sunday/guess-who-doesnt-fit-in-at-work.html?_r=0
It’s like being on a date – “You kind of know when there’s a match.”
“Would I want to be stuck in an airport in Minneapolis in a
snowstorm with them?”2

22. One Size Fits All?

23. Building Relationships is hard
https://xkcd.com/610/

24. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5aITwfc0MA
Cultural Fit = “Someone like me”
If you want innovation, you need diversity
If you want engagement, you need diversity…

26. http://valleywag.gawker.com/culture-fit-is-a-shitty-excuse-for-marginalizing-wome-1186914306
Cultural Fit = “Someone like me”
Just an excuse to discriminate?
“People will say “not a culture fit” without having to define
what that means. It's almost this sacred space which lets
them uncritically reject people from the company or from
the team. On the surface level it tends to mean “We just
don't like you. You're different from us. We don't want to
figure out how to work with you.”

27. Cultural Fit = people don’t change
Potential &
Maturity
Presenting Face
Where you are in
your strategic
narrative
Employers or industries
with values not aligned
with your personal practice
(vegetarians working for
slaughterhouses?)

28. What’s wrong with these questions?
• What 3 things do you love to share about your last work experience which will excite
us to offer you the job?
• If I were to call your references after our interview what are they likely to say about
you?
• If a family member called and told you there was an accident and they needed your
help, how would you tell your boss?
• What would you do first/set as a month's goal in this position if we hired you?
• What motivates you the most - money, power or fame?
• What are you passionate about?
• List 10 things that you could do with a pencil. You have 15 seconds.
• What is your biggest pet peeve?
http://www.tjsn.net/articles/showarticle2.php?id=44&PHPSESSID=ee78ed42c8a92e7cc9487e5cbcd79ddb

29. That’s it for articles!
What did we learn?

30. Take Aways
• Don’t make your choices based on what you think I want
• Be really careful about how you distil rules for hiring from what
you think your culture is
• People actually can and do change if they want
• Company cultures change too
• Consider that nothing’s static when you try to define your
company culture

31. It’s time for your
questions and comments
Use the Chatbox at the side

32. Next Steps
Did any of this hit a nerve with you?
Do you want to know and explore more?
Use the chatbox at the side to let us to know to
get in touch with you about setting up a
consultation to improve performance.

33. This is just the beginning of the
discussion..
Webinar
Webinars provide:
• Perspectives
• Overview – ideas in a
nutshell!
• Latest thinking
Workshop
How to apply this practically
in your company:
• Deeper exploration
• Tailored Exercises
• Framework for self-
implementation
Consulting
Bespoke guidance:
• Culture audit
• Evaluation
• Recommendations

34. Get in touch
Jasmine’s workshops on:
• Employee Engagement
• Diversity & Inclusion
Andrea’s workshops on:
• Decisions & Productivity
• Decision-making in teams
FREE 45-minute no-obligation
decision-coaching session
jasminegartner@gmail.com
www.twitter.com/jasminegartner
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jasminegartner
0790 355 2414
Get in touch:
andrea.james@quintessentialconsulting.co.uk
www.twitter.com/Decisions_Made_
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreaqjames
0203 289 6661
07796 936 661

35. Extra Articles & Videos
• Culture Fit in the Workplace
• Hire for Culture, Train for Skill
• The Importance of Cultural Fit
• Hire Slow and Fire Fast
• More culture fit
• And more
• An excuse to discriminate
• Culture fit goes too far
• Oona King
• Guess who doesn’t fit in at work?
Some of these were shared in the run up to the webinar and others we didn’t have
the time to discuss but we thought you might find interesting