For years, finding employees who will be great “culture fits” has been the ongoing goal of many recruiting and leadership teams. This emphasis has been beneficial in many ways, particularly where it has helped organizations focus on bringing in people who they believe will not only do great work (the “what”), but who will do it in a positive manner that aligns with the rest of the organization’s culture (the “how”).
However, the dark side of “culture fit” as a recruitment focus has been discussed more in recent years, and “culture add” has become a popular replacement for many teams. This article will explain why the concept of culture add is an improvement on culture fit and provide insight on how to hire based on this guideline.