ATD Blog
Culture Fit or Culture Add—Can We (Really) Hire for Both?
Content
H ow can organizations find balance and reap the benefits of refreshing and reenergizing their culture with a new hire while not disrupting what works?
How can organizations find balance and reap the benefits of refreshing and reenergizing their culture with a new hire while not disrupting what works?
Tue Sep 17 2024
Content
Organizations describe their cultures during shareholders calls, in annual reports, and on recruiting websites. They attribute financial success to their cultures and try to change them when revenues drop, competition increases, and innovation slows.
Organizations describe their cultures during shareholders calls, in annual reports, and on recruiting websites. They attribute financial success to their cultures and try to change them when revenues drop, competition increases, and innovation slows.
Content
A way to do this is to deviate from the usual “culture fit” hiring strategy, instead injecting the organization with “culture adds”—individuals from different backgrounds who bring different perspectives and different experiences.
A way to do this is to deviate from the usual “culture fit” hiring strategy, instead injecting the organization with “culture adds”—individuals from different backgrounds who bring different perspectives and different experiences.
Content
A 2020 blog published by the The Enterprisers Project , describes the difference between the culture fit and culture-add approaches:
A 2020 blog published by the The Enterprisers Project, describes the difference between the culture fit and culture-add approaches:
Content
“In contrast to the culture fit mindset, which seeks to hire and retain more of what is already working for you, culture add focuses on gaining valuable elements that your culture lacks. In other words, culture fit preserves comfort and familiarity, while culture add looks for people who value an organization’s standards and culture, but also bring something different that positively contributes to your company.”
“In contrast to the culture fit mindset, which seeks to hire and retain more of what is already working for you, culture add focuses on gaining valuable elements that your culture lacks. In other words, culture fit preserves comfort and familiarity, while culture add looks for people who value an organization’s standards and culture, but also bring something different that positively contributes to your company.”
Content
Early in my career, I was hired by an organization’s human resources (HR) department as a culture add. I was told the leaders wanted human resources to become more business-savvy and more consultative so they hired MBA-trained former management consultants like me. My cohort stood out among those hired for comfort and familiarity, but we were valued for bringing that “something different.”
Early in my career, I was hired by an organization’s human resources (HR) department as a culture add. I was told the leaders wanted human resources to become more business-savvy and more consultative so they hired MBA-trained former management consultants like me. My cohort stood out among those hired for comfort and familiarity, but we were valued for bringing that “something different.”
Content
Until we weren’t. (More on that later.)
Until we weren’t. (More on that later.)
Can We (Really) Hire for Both?
Content
When I asked this question to an audience at a large 2024 HR conference, the answer was mixed, with examples of successes and failures. My own answer—having hired culture adds and been an add myself—is a qualified “yes.” Let’s explore the benefits, risks, and strategies for strengthening this “yes” in your organizations.
When I asked this question to an audience at a large 2024 HR conference, the answer was mixed, with examples of successes and failures. My own answer—having hired culture adds and been an add myself—is a qualified “yes.” Let’s explore the benefits, risks, and strategies for strengthening this “yes” in your organizations.
Why Hire for Culture Add?
Content
Culture refresh is tempting. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft since 2014, wrote in his 2017 book Hit Refresh , “Every person, organizaion, and even society reaches a point at which they owe it to themselves to hit refresh—to reenergize, renew, reframe, and rethink their purpose.”
Culture refresh is tempting. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft since 2014, wrote in his 2017 book Hit Refresh, “Every person, organizaion, and even society reaches a point at which they owe it to themselves to hit refresh—to reenergize, renew, reframe, and rethink their purpose.”
Content
Hiring individuals who bring something different can support this desired refresh by helping organizations:
Hiring individuals who bring something different can support this desired refresh by helping organizations:
Content
Challenge to “we’ve always done it this way”—disruption of stagnation.
Challenge to “we’ve always done it this way”—disruption of stagnation.
Content
Enhance creativity, innovation, and problem solving.
Enhance creativity, innovation, and problem solving.
Content
Increase ability to understand and market to diverse audiences.
Increase ability to understand and market to diverse audiences.
Content
Expand available skill sets, capabilities, and expertise.
Expand available skill sets, capabilities, and expertise.
Content
Strengthen ability to hire more adds to build the organization’s reputation as inclusive and willing to evolve.
Strengthen ability to hire more adds to build the organization’s reputation as inclusive and willing to evolve.
The Risk of Culture Add
Content
With reward usually comes risk. It is critical for talent leaders to be aware of potential pitfalls—and to educate the businesses you support. These risks may include but are not limited to:
With reward usually comes risk. It is critical for talent leaders to be aware of potential pitfalls—and to educate the businesses you support. These risks may include but are not limited to:
Content
Short-term disruptions to workflows
Short-term disruptions to workflows
Content
Interpersonal conflicts and inclusivity risks
Interpersonal conflicts and inclusivity risks
Content
Fluctuating engagement and morale (from the adds and the incumbent employees)
Fluctuating engagement and morale (from the adds and the incumbent employees)
Content
Turnover of adds and/or incumbents
Turnover of adds and/or incumbents
Content
Dilution of organization’s guiding principles/pillars
Dilution of organization’s guiding principles/pillars
Content
The HR leaders at that financial services organization realized that by hiring me and my fellow adds they were inviting questions about why things were done in certain ways and suggestions for how to make processes more consultative. For personal and professional reasons, the leaders weren’t ready to make these changes. They learned the meaning of the well-known phrase “be careful what you wish for.”
The HR leaders at that financial services organization realized that by hiring me and my fellow adds they were inviting questions about why things were done in certain ways and suggestions for how to make processes more consultative. For personal and professional reasons, the leaders weren’t ready to make these changes. They learned the meaning of the well-known phrase “be careful what you wish for.”
How to Mitigate the Risk
Content
So, how can organizations find the balance, reaping the benefits of refreshing and reenergizing culture while not disrupting what works? When coaching hiring managers eager to culture add, help them manage the risk through a four-pronged strategy:
So, how can organizations find the balance, reaping the benefits of refreshing and reenergizing culture while not disrupting what works? When coaching hiring managers eager to culture add, help them manage the risk through a four-pronged strategy:
Content
Commitment
Commitment
Content
Clarification
Clarification
Content
Check-ins
Check-ins
Content
Clearing (of roadblocks)
Clearing (of roadblocks)
Content
Ensure Commitment at Senior Levels
Ensure Commitment at Senior Levels
Content
Before the business even starts recruiting, help your organization ensure buy-in for this culture-add role. Encourage hiring managers to explain to senior leaders the why behind their add requests and the benefits to the organization. Ask the hiring managers to regularly check in with their leaders to provide updates and reiterate the need for support and to keep you educated along the way so you can best support them.
Before the business even starts recruiting, help your organization ensure buy-in for this culture-add role. Encourage hiring managers to explain to senior leaders the why behind their add requests and the benefits to the organization. Ask the hiring managers to regularly check in with their leaders to provide updates and reiterate the need for support and to keep you educated along the way so you can best support them.
Content
Clarify the Situation—See It For What It Is
Clarify the Situation—See It For What It Is
Content
Get real with managers about the need for stepped-up leadership and their need to explain the culture-add why, what, and how to their current teams. Encourage managers to involve these incumbent employees (the ones affected by and in positions to support the adds) in the hiring process. Should you have a role in recruiting, get real with candidates about the opportunities and challenges and the benefits and the pitfalls that await on the path toward culture refresh.
Get real with managers about the need for stepped-up leadership and their need to explain the culture-add why, what, and how to their current teams. Encourage managers to involve these incumbent employees (the ones affected by and in positions to support the adds) in the hiring process. Should you have a role in recruiting, get real with candidates about the opportunities and challenges and the benefits and the pitfalls that await on the path toward culture refresh.
Content
Conduct Regular Check-Ins
Conduct Regular Check-Ins
Content
Encourage managers to co-create 30-60-90-day goals with their new adds to set up short-term success and position longer-term achievements. As talent leaders, keep your own ears to the ground, listening for feedback from incumbent employees and the adds themselves. Is the enthusiasm for what’s possible outweighing frustration with the change process? The add may ultimately not be the best/right/right-now add. Don’t wait until the situation explodes or everyone threatens resignation to encourage action.
Encourage managers to co-create 30-60-90-day goals with their new adds to set up short-term success and position longer-term achievements. As talent leaders, keep your own ears to the ground, listening for feedback from incumbent employees and the adds themselves. Is the enthusiasm for what’s possible outweighing frustration with the change process? The add may ultimately not be the best/right/right-now add. Don’t wait until the situation explodes or everyone threatens resignation to encourage action.
Content
Clear Roadblocks
Clear Roadblocks
Content
Remind managers to act upon insights from their check-ins, to make their adds feel heard and valued, and to address concerns from all stakeholders. Successful change requires resilience, patience, and a willingness to adapt. It also requires the insight to know when to push forward and the courage to pull back and regroup. Encourage managers to communicate and celebrate wins to maintain morale and momentum.
Remind managers to act upon insights from their check-ins, to make their adds feel heard and valued, and to address concerns from all stakeholders. Successful change requires resilience, patience, and a willingness to adapt. It also requires the insight to know when to push forward and the courage to pull back and regroup. Encourage managers to communicate and celebrate wins to maintain morale and momentum.
A Qualified “Yes”
Content
My own experience as a culture add at that financial services organization ended after 14 months. I’m grateful for the experience, as it led to an opportunity at a small tech company in which my quirky add qualities were more fit than clash. I would do it all again, but knowing what I know now as an experienced talent development professional, I’d share this advice with the organization’s HR executives:
My own experience as a culture add at that financial services organization ended after 14 months. I’m grateful for the experience, as it led to an opportunity at a small tech company in which my quirky add qualities were more fit than clash. I would do it all again, but knowing what I know now as an experienced talent development professional, I’d share this advice with the organization’s HR executives:
Content
Start small and experiment by adding slowly.
Start small and experiment by adding slowly.
Content
What one culture element is the org ready and willing to evolve?
What one culture element is the org ready and willing to evolve?
Content
Set up the hiring manager for success.
Set up the hiring manager for success.
Content
Does this leader have the courage to advocate for change?
Does this leader have the courage to advocate for change?
Content
Hire for patience, collaboration, and ability to bring others along.
Hire for patience, collaboration, and ability to bring others along.
Content
Celebrate, appreciate, and reward those talents in the add.
Celebrate, appreciate, and reward those talents in the add.
Content
Onboard to optimize.
Onboard to optimize.
Content
You may have limited time with this add.
You may have limited time with this add.
Content
Monitor and proactively offer support.
Monitor and proactively offer support.
Content
Check in with both manager and the add.
Check in with both manager and the add.
Content
We can have it all, if we’re willing to do the work.
We can have it all, if we’re willing to do the work.