Does Arthur Lawrence Believe In Cultural Fit Or Cultural Add?

Does Arthur Lawrence believe in cultural fit or cultural add?

(I thought) this was an easy question when it came up in the webinar last month. And as I said then, while I personally endorse cultural fit, I look forward to team members contributing to cultural add with their own individuality and talents.

Why aren’t cultural fit and cultural add the same thing?

In an ideal world, they would be. Or rather, cultural add would be part of the cultural fit.

Before cultural fit can absorb the diversity and indeed---the healthy chaos—of cultural add, there’s some work that businesses need to do. Top on the list is understanding the ever-changing face of business, and how it determines leadership imperatives.

Cultural fit—put plainly, is an individual’s ability to get along with coworkers, customers and other stakeholders in the business value chain. So it assumes that anyone onboarded will agree with the company’s mission, values, and its macro- and micro- exchanges within its own ecosystem. A great deal of ‘getting along’ boils down to conformity, ‘looking the part’ (in a customer-facing role), and what coworkers perceive as agreeable behavior.

Cultural fit is convenient. And comparatively, easier to manage.

Netflix, in a now-famous stance, decried cultural fit for reasons that shadowed the ones above. Instead of fit, it said, aim for a deeper understanding of what an individual brings to your company. Seek matches between what needs to be done and this talent, rather than testing how well people can arrive at the same conclusion.

This may often mean making brave decisions about how to:

• Source your talent (not every company can be in an ‘always hiring mode’), but ideally should be.
• Match rewards with an honest expectation of performance—not every skill can be measured by salary scales.
• Go the mile with your team. Individuals who may be a poor fit can be a tremendous add: Learn how to find and appreciate them.

In other words, instead of steering everyone towards consensus, be clear enough to welcome creative conflict converging into a shared goal.

This is where the second leadership imperative comes in. Cultural add translates into embracing diversity and inclusivity---the good and the ugly that comes with it. It means opening up to possibilities a business may not always be prepared for. In other words, to be vulnerable to change.

It takes a brave business to be ready for such vulnerability. As we work to enrich our corporate culture, maybe this is the vulnerability we all need.