in a nutshell: cultural fit - by jasmine gartner and andrea james
TRANSCRIPT
Andrea James Jasmine Gartner
In a Nutshell:Is better performance linked to
hiring for cultural fit?
Who are we?
Jasmine Gartner
Trainer & Writer
Employee Engagement, Inclusion & Unconscious Bias
Andrea James
Consultant & Trainer
Decision-Making
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
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.
Discussion Point 1
What is culture?
What is ‘cultural fit’?
What defines your organisation’s culture?
Enter your thoughts in the chat box.
What does ‘culture’ mean?
Jasmine’s definition: Culture is the learned and shared ideas, values and
behaviours of a group (strategy and ways of working)
“It’s the way we do things around here.”
Culture = behaviours + expectations + unspoken rules
Organisational Culture
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.”
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
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
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…
Discussion Point 2
Arguments for
Cultural Fit
What are your experiences
of cultural fit?
Enter your thoughts in the chat box.
Effects of Cultural Fit
http://www.helblingsearch.com/uploads/c9eac11f976a47e3b842.pdf
Discussion Point 3
Arguments against
Cultural Fit
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-cultures2. 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
One Size Fits All?
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…
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.”
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?)
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
That’s it for articles!
What did we learn?
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
It’s time for your
questions and comments
Use the Chatbox at the side
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.
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
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
[email protected]/jasminegartnerhttps://uk.linkedin.com/in/jasminegartner0790 355 2414
Get in touch:
[email protected]/Decisions_Made_https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreaqjames0203 289 666107796 936 661
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