Open AccessHire the Best Available Candidate; but not Based Solely on “Cultural Fit”
Author(s) -
Peter Kalina
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of human resource studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2162-3058
DOI - 10.5296/ijhrs.v11i3.19017
Subject(s) - diversity (politics) , organizational culture , psychology , business , cultural diversity , public relations , marketing , social psychology , law , political science
The culture of an organization has a tremendous influence on outcomes. Culture drives strategy, operations, execution, and priorities. However, when it comes to hiring, culture is often prioritized over more objective criteria. There is a perceived need to make certain everyone hired “fits in.” Achieving workplace diversity begins with recruiting broadly. This paper describes why hiring focused predominantly on cultural fit is misguided and short-sighted. We describe why organizations should keep an open mind about what makes someone the “right” candidate, and why it behooves organizations to hire a few “square pegs.”