Was Google wrong to fire James Damore?

Was Google wrong to fire James Damore?

One of the most hotly debated issues to emerge out of Silicon Valley right now has not only shined a spotlight on the issues of gender diversity and freedom of expression at the tech giant, but it has also thrown up a chink in the company’s recruitment practices, notorious for being one of the most selective in the industry. Which brings us to the next question — could Google have foreseen this issue during the recruitment stage itself? It’s the people who slip through the cracks that have the potential to derail in an instant what the company has taken great care to build over a decade. This is the danger that these ‘larger-than-life’ companies risk facing. first Uber, and now Google.

Finding candidates , whose views on important values such as gender equality differ ing 180 degrees before they come on-board , will require a revamp of recruiting practices. It will require the hiring manager to focus as much on culture fitment as they do on the hard skills today via algorithmic tests etc.

Defining the right culture and then structuring the interview to weed out folks who don’t align with it can prevent a lot of heart burn.

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Originally published at www.anupartha.com on August 18, 2017.