Diversity, culture add, and culture fit are terms that have been popping up in the world today. Having diverse talent in an organization adds to the personality of the organization and gets that edge over the competition.
Let’s discuss the terms culture add and culture fit. Culture fit describes how an individual assimilates into the organization’s behaviors and values whereas culture add describes an individual that recognizes the organization’s behaviors and values but brings in their own perspective and brings in their diverse spin. Can the two exist together in an organization’s recruiting and selection process? Yes, they can. Why are culture add and culture fit important to an organization? Why do we need to consider these concepts as incorrect rather than appreciate them for what they both can bring to the table? We need talent that can see the value of the organization as well as feel comfortable to bring in their unique, flexible, resilient, and creative talent.
How does an organization attain both? It begins with the organization defining its brand awareness and value proposition. What message are they sending to their employees and to the world? By crafting a consistent and transparent message along with a welcoming atmosphere will attract the best in class diverse candidates. Organizations can review the content on their website, training, job ads, job descriptions, etc. to promote their mission of becoming an inclusive employer that values diverse talent. Lastly, review your recruiting strategy for example, where are you posting your jobs, where are you sourcing your talent, which organizations/schools/programs are you partnering with to socialize your diversity recruiting initiative.
