Stop Hiring for Culture Fit and Start Hiring for Culture Contribution

Years ago, I was a professor at a university where “fit” was one of the criteria for hiring, as well as for promotion and tenure. I won’t go into the details of how it was defined (elusive at best) or how it was applied, but, like in any organization, being a good “culture fit” means that a person aligns their behavior with the existing culture.

In other words, they adhere to and don’t challenge “how we do things around here”—Gallup’s concise definition of culture. The belief is that hiring and rewarding for tight culture alignment helps ensure a smooth integration of the employee into the organization, reduces conflict, and improves team cohesion.

In my experience, these outcomes tend to hold true, at least for a while.

But here’s the problem—when companies over-prioritize culture fit, they unknowingly risk creating teams that don’t work very well, at least not in the long run. Such teams are often characterized by groupthink, stagnation, and a lack of fresh perspectives.

The phrase “culture fit” eventually becomes a proxy for conformity, which, over time, results in low performance and a lack of innovation. I’ll explain why below, but for now, let me propose that a thriving culture isn’t built on sameness—it’s built on differences.

In our work with companies across a range of industries, we’ve found that high-performing organizations don’t just hire people who fit their existing culture—they hire those who can expand it. I call this approach culture contribution. It involves considering how a candidate will help shape and grow the evolving story of your company. This future-focused mindset recognizes that you don’t have all the answers—especially not for the challenges yet to come.

So, the next time you’re hiring or promoting, instead of asking, “Does this person fit our culture?” a more effective question is: “What unique perspectives, skills, and experiences does this person bring that will strengthen our culture?”

Why Culture Fit Can Be Dangerous

Hiring for cultural fit can lead to homogeneous teams—people who think alike, act alike, and work in similar ways. In a sense, they are the same people. Amid this context, a type of somnambulism or “sleepwalking” can develop. And while this can create short-term harmony, it often results in:

• A Lack of Innovation:When everyone thinks alike and approaches problems from similar perspectives, creativity suffers. We all know from experience that diverse viewpoints lead to better problem-solving and breakthrough ideas.
• Echo Chambers:Employees may hesitate to challenge each other’s ideas, leading to weaker decisions and missed opportunities.
• Risk of Groupthink:Closely related to the point above, when there is a great deal of similarity among team members, this can lead to a lack of critical evaluation, resulting in groupthink – psychological phenomenon where the desire for harmony and consensus within a group leads to poor decision-making. Members suppress dissenting opinions, overlook potential risks, and prioritize agreement over critical thinking, often resulting in flawed outcomes.
• Exclusionary Practices:Culture fit can become a coded way of reinforcing unconscious biases. When hiring managers equate “fit” with personal comfort, they may unintentionally exclude talented candidates who don’t look, talk, or think like the existing team.

Netflix is well known for not tolerating “brilliant jerks.” You can be the smartest person in the room, but if people don’t want to work with you, your tenure at the company will be short.

Netflix also strongly emphasizes fostering diverse ideas within its organizational culture. The company’s culture deck highlights the value of diversity of thought, stating that Netflix “welcomes different perspectives, experiences, and ideas from its employees,” recognizing that such diversity “enriches its creativity, innovation, and problem-solving abilities.”

Netflix embodies the cultural contribution perspective. How about your organization?

Culture Contribution: How It Works

Hiring for culture contribution means evaluating candidates not only for their alignment with company values(which is critically important) but also for the new perspectives, strengths, or experiences they bring to the table. Here’s how to put it into action:

Identify Your Culture’s Gaps

Rather than hiring people who only reinforce what already exists, look for where your team needs to grow. Ask yourself:

• What perspectives are underrepresented on our team?

• Where do we struggle to challenge our thinking?

• What skills or experiences are missing that could take us to the next level?

In other words, where are your culture gaps? For example, if your team is full of analytical thinkers but lacks creative risk-takers, hiring someone with an entrepreneurial mindset might balance decision-making and unlock new opportunities.

Shift the Interview Focus

Traditional interviews often focus on how well a candidate aligns with company culture. Instead, shift the conversation to how they can contribute to it. Questions to ask include:

• What perspectives or skills do you bring that we don’t already have?

• Can you share a time you challenged the status quo in a previous role?

• What’s an assumption people in our industry make that you disagree with?

By framing interviews this way, you encourage candidates to showcase their capability of bringing new perspectives to your organization.

Emphasize Adaptability Over Fit

Instead of looking for someone who seamlessly blends into the existing team dynamic, look for someone who can adapt, contribute, and challenge the team productively. This doesn’t mean hiring disruptors for the sake of disruption; it means seeking people who bring different experiences and perspectives while still aligning with core company values.

For example, Amazon’s hiring philosophy includes a leadership principle called “Hire and Develop the Best,” which pushes leaders to bring in top talent who raise the bar for the company. They intentionally avoid hiring people who merely “fit in.”

Make Diversity and Inclusion a Competitive Advantage

While DEI programs and policies are currently under attack, we need to consider diversity and inclusion more broadly, beyond the usual demographic categories, which are critically important.

The cultural contribution perspective involves embracing diverse ways of thinking and problem-solving and integrating them into the workflow. Data supports this approach. Studies show that cognitively diverse teams make better decisions 60% of the time compared to homogeneous teams.  Of course, heterogeneous teams come with the possibility of conflict and coordination challenges. Much of this can be mitigated by providing clear direction and having frequent, alignment touchpoints.

The Bottom Line

A strong culture isn’t built by hiring more of the same—it’s built by welcoming different perspectives, constructive challenges, and new ways of thinking and working.

If you want a high-performance culture, stop looking for people who “fit in” and start looking for people who make the team better.

The future belongs to companies that hire for culture contribution, not just culture fit. Are you ready to rethink the way you build and develop your team?

At BSM Partners, we help organizations build cultures that drive performance and innovation. If you are ready to take your team to the next level, reach out to see how we can help you attract culture contributors, unlock your team’s full potential, and create a lasting impact.