Organizational Culture

Recruiters and executives recognize the experience of hiring a candidate and then it turns out the new employee doesn’t fit into the organizational culture and she/he leaves within 3 months. What a waste of everybody’s time, effort and money! How about checking this “culture match” first?
This is very useful, because research shows that one of the most important reasons that people quit their jobs is they don’t get along with their bosses or don’t like the workplace culture and co-workers. So there they are: With an interesting job, a good salary and three months of introduction program and meetings and yet, about to leave.

The question is not if you should check an applicant with the team’s culture before you hire them. The question is how. That’s easier than you think: the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) gives you a visual profile of current and preferred culture in 15-20 minutes. It’s a quick, easy and reliable tool that is used for many purposes (though developed to assess culture and change).

How to match the candidate with the receiving team?

1. Have the candidates do a culture assessment on how they expect that current culture at the new company is and what they would prefer it to be/what would be their best fitting environment.
2. Engage the receiving team or organization in the culture assessment so you have their culture profile. Advantage to them is that they become more aware of their current and desired workplace culture, strategies and goals. This enhances team development.
3. Compare the team’s profile and the candidate’s profile and you have an interesting topic for the job interview: How do they match? What do they expect exactly when it comes to these nonverbal, unspoken, taken-for-granted culture things that make or break a job match?

Practical implications
Of course, everything is easier said than done. But using OCAI it doesn’t have to be difficult. Just watch out for the perfect candidate who’s filling out their preferred, best fitting culture to match the company’s goals. That’s why it is important to discuss the results afterwards: With the candidate and with the team. Both parties will gain insights from this.
Timeframe: 15-20 minutes to do the assessment, 30 minutes to discuss the outcome. Results: mismatches will stand out and will be prevented. Matches are more aware of the situation they are entering, and so is the receiving team. Team forming will boost and the applicant is likely to stay longer than three months.

Take a look at the assessment here: http://www.ocai-online.com

If you want to know more, please contact Marcella Bremer through the contact form at ocai-online.com