Recruiting for culture vs recruiting for convenience
Culture as a topic has moved on from one of a cursory afterthought in a strategic planning session, to something which keeps business owners and team leaders awake at night. The question I am often asked is not “how do I grow my business?” but “how do I grow my business and protect / maintain the culture?” Of course, this problem grows as your business grows given that ultimately a culture is a product of the people in a business. However, there is much that we can do to lead a culture.
Naturally, recruitment plays a pivotal role in a business culture, though headline-grabbing claims that recruiting for culture results in “sameness” are on the increase. For those confusing recruiting for culture with recruiting for convenience, that may be the case. Let me explain. Many people might ask “does this person fit in?” or “do we naturally get on?” or “can I have a good time with this person?” but these questions satisfy a different criterion — the amount of effort it will take to understand and embrace this person’s contribution to culture and diversity. Conversely, by asking “how would this person positively contribute to the culture we are preserving?” would give a much clearer indication of culture preservation.
Recruiting for culture is vital for preserving the personality and uniqueness of any team. How you achieve inclusivity and embrace diversity is another matter altogether. Just as no two people fulfil a leadership role in the same way, no two people contribute to a culture in the same way. Preserving a culture is all about living by a set of common values, not setting out to recruit replicas of existing team members. Culture can therefore draw people together by having something in common.
Startups have an advantage as they are young and emerging businesses in heavy recruitment mode, and quick to realise the significant business impact of getting this right. They do face two challenges, however. Firstly, the ability to prioritise the future benefit of culture when short term pressures such as time and cash flow monopolise one’s efforts. Secondly, learning how to integrate culture and value-based behaviour within their operations so that it becomes business as usual.
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