In October 2024, actor Saoirse Ronan did a rare thing, silencing a panel of celebrities on the Graham Norton Show. Eddie Redmayne was explaining how he had been trained to defend himself with a phone for his role in the TV show The Day of The Jackal when fellow actor Paul Mescal interjected, ridiculing the idea someone would reach for their phone if they were attacked. In response, Ronan remarked: “That’s what girls have to think about all the time.”
To their credit, the other guests stopped and listened patiently as she explained how many women have to think through such contingencies because they don’t feel safe.
It was a great example of the power of diversity and of how having a different perspective in the room can force others to think differently.
Why culture fit can be controversial
The argument for diversity in business is well known. Having people with different backgrounds, personalities and experiences increases the breadth of ideas in an organisation, leading to more rigorous and creative thinking and reducing the risk of making fundamental errors or false assumptions.
This is why the idea of hiring for culture fit can seem controversial. The idea that someone is not the right cultural match for an organisation can very easily become shorthand for ‘they’re just not our kind of people’.
Knowing what is non-negotiable about your culture is essential but it isn’t always an easy distinction
There’s no doubt that the idea of culture fit has been used to exclude promising candidates who aren’t similar to the existing team and this is harmful. But that doesn’t mean the concept should be consigned to history.
I come from a diverse background, so I’m sensitive to this, but I also spend my professional life helping companies find employees who will stay the course. For better or for worse, culture fit is a powerful predictor of whether someone will still be in the role after six months.
Clashes over beliefs, attitudes and behavioural norms can lead to deteriorating performance and working relationships. It’s neither pleasant nor productive to be an outsider, for the candidate or the business. So how do we square the circle of being inclusive while maintaining necessary cultural cohesion?
The importance of shared values
Some aspects of culture are much more important than others. People with very different beliefs, attitudes and ways of working can thrive in the same culture as long as they share the same fundamental values. This refers to concepts of accountability, responsibility, mutual respect and basic right versus wrong.
Here, conformity is non-negotiable. An honest culture won’t abide a liar, nor a caring culture a bully. It’s very unlikely a new team member will change their values, whereas people can adapt to fit in with an existing culture.
But there are other aspects of culture that are superficial and arbitrary, where it’s at best immaterial whether everyone fits. It shouldn’t matter whether someone chooses not to attend after-work pub sessions on a Thursday night, for example.
Insisting on fit in such cases is counterproductive and can silence or drive away valuable people. Identifying instances where people feel excluded can be a good sign the culture needs changing, not the person.
Knowing what is non-negotiable about your culture is essential for knowing whether candidate difference is a deal-breaker, although it isn’t always an easy distinction.
A company might have a strong culture of forthright debate, verging on being confrontational. It might say this produces better thinking, but it will also exclude and deter those with more agreeable or conflict-avoidant personalities.
In such circumstances, there is a trade-off between having an open door to diverse talent and maintaining cultural norms that you see as strengths. The best you can do is to ensure you understand the decision you’re taking and the likely consequences, rather than doing so by reflex.
As with any other aspect of recruitment, making the right decision on who to hire begins with understanding your organisation, the existing culture and what you want it to be.
Orlando Martins is a board advisor, organisational strategist and headhunter. He founded ORESA Executive Search in 2008 and GrowthIndex.com, which ranks the fastest-growing UK companies.
