Organizational Culture

I recall attending a seminar where the recruiter-presenter was talking about the importance of cultural fit in hiring the right people. When I asked him to define culture, I got a lot of mumbo jumbo, not a clear enough definition. Shortly after this seminar, I saw a culture definition that made sense: Behavior that is tolerated and Rewarded/Behavior that is Frowned upon and Punished.

Most of the CEO’s and business owners I’ve met, read about, and heard say that cultural fit is the most important factor in evaluating potential hires. As a talent evaluator for over 40 years I have understood why. The vast majority of reasons people are successful or fail relate to the right or wrong culture fit: “The manager is really good at resolving problems at the peer level.” “The manager always needs a boss to solve inter-departmental conflicts.”