In an episode of Sex and the City, Carrie goes to a house party and is asked to remove her shoes. As any fan of the show knows, Carrie really likes her shoes, so much so that being asked to take them off is almost grounds for her to leave the party all together. Imagine if Carrie had to work in an office where shoes were not allowed. She’d either hate every minute spent at work, or she’d quit.
The above is a bit of a silly example, but it underscores a point about culture fit. Employees do best in companies where their own values and norms are congruent with those of the company.
In a recent article on culture fit, author Kerry Schofield gives the example of an introvert and an extrovert. An introvert might hate going to work in a place with an open floor plan, whereas an extrovert would thrive in such an environment. Of course, there’s a lot more to every employee than whether they are introverted or extroverted, which is why assessing the personal characteristics of a potential employee before you hire them is so important.
Finding a good cultural fit is beneficial both to your workers and to your business. In 2005, Amy Kristof-Brown did an analysis of numerous studies on cultural fit and found that employees who fit well with their organizations, coworkers, and supervisors enjoyed greater job satisfaction, better job performance, and were much more likely to remain with the company over the long term. On the other hand, poor cultural fit can lead to an employee feeling drained, incompetent, and out of place in their position.
How do You Know if it’s a Match?
Employee assessments can help determine whether a person will be a good fit not just with a job but with the workplace culture of your organization. By examining a person’s motivations, their work style, and the ways that they interact with others, employers can get a solid understanding of how that employee will mesh with the organization.
Take the time to find employees who are a good cultural fit, and as a result you will end up with employees who are more confident, feel more competent, and are more committed to your organization.
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