The emphasis on 'culture fit' nurtures biases more effectively than sourdough starter gives lift to homemade bread.

“But I have a gut feeling that this candidate won’t be a good culture fit” – is what I hear sometimes.

Whenever you hear your gut talking, please pause.

Your gut is interested in making you feel safe and in making your decisions familiar and comfortable. It’s not interested in making your decisions smarter.*

And if you don’t hear “the gut talk”, be mindful that it is often disguised as “from my experience…”

Our experience of course matters AND we need to be aware that our experience still doesn’t make us immune to bias.

When I discuss bias during my workshops I sometimes hear „But I need to have a good feeling about a candidate to be able to work with them”.

I get that need.

Let’s pause again though: is it really always necessary? Probably yes, if we work with someone closely and are very dependent on the conflict level being very low.

Hiring for culture fit often leads to creating a homogenous workforce, which can hinder the new ideas and perspectives essential for growth.

Therefore, we should be rather asking ourselves “Are there perspectives and/or personal competencies that are needed but missing from the team?”* and be searching for culture add instead.

A culture add candidate is someone who aligns with core organization’s values but who also brings unique qualities, perspectives and ideas. For example - an outspoken candidate in a reserved team can encourage deeper discussions, or someone from a different socioeconomic background can offer insights into appealing to a broader customer base.

It’s not about hiring someone who will be negatively disruptive, it’s about filling the skill gaps within yourorganization with someone who can challenge the status quo and allow the organization to grow.

What are your thoughts on intuition biases?

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*This and more on blocking bias in a fantastic book: ”Leading through bias”, Poornima Luthra, Sara Louise Muhr