Birkman Fit Series: The Culture Perspective

Question for a Job Candidate to Consider: Before I accept this position, how can I determine whether the organization's culture is likely to fit me?

Core Premise to Keep

A candidate may fit the role, the leader, and even the team, but organizational culture adds another dimension. Two nearly identical jobs in two different organizations can produce very different experiences.

The candidate cannot fully know the culture before working there. The objective is not certainty—it is to gather enough evidence to make an informed decision.

Two Dimensions of Culture Worth Retaining

1. Where is the organization headed?

Does the candidate understand the organization's mission, direction and priorities? They don't have to personally design the direction, but they should be able to support it and see how their work contributes.  The interviewer should be able to tell the candidate some general information about the direction of the company, if changes are underway, new software pending, etc.

2. How does the organization plan to get there?

In a way, this is the organizational "body language" that all employees experience. What clues can a candidate gather about how people communicate, make decisions, treat one another, manage performance and get work accomplished?

Don't try to diagnose whether this is a "good" or "bad" culture. The candidate is trying to determine:

Is this an environment in which I am likely to do my best work?

Questions Candidates Can Realistically Ask BEFORE Accepting an Offer:

• Is this a newly created position? If not, why is it open?

• What made previous people successful in this position?

• Looking back at people who haven't been successful in the role, have you noticed any common themes?

• When people succeed here, which fit seems most important—the work itself, the leader, the team or the organizational culture?

• What type of employee tends to thrive here?

• What does success look like during the first six months?

• How would you describe the manager's approach to communication and decision-making?

• How does the team typically work together and handle differences?

• Can you give me an example of someone who has grown within the organization?

• What makes people choose to build a career here?

• Is there anything about the culture that tends to surprise people after they join?

That last one remains especially good. It may reveal what the polished recruiting materials don't.

Glassdoor and other outside information can provide additional clues, although individual reviews should be treated as evidence rather than proof.

Bring Birkman Data into the Decision

The candidate knows something the organization doesn't necessarily know: what they need from an environment to perform well.

Candidates shouldn't expect every Birkman Need to be met. Instead, the candidate should identify the few conditions that matter most.  Let me say that again: know which Needs are most important to you.  When you can compromise on a Need or get by with a little more or a little less than you really prefer, you expand the number of environments where you can be successful.

The question becomes:

Does what I am learning about this organization appear compatible with the conditions I know help me do my best work?

That keeps Birkman relevant without turning the article into a lesson on all nine Needs.

A Useful Conclusion

The candidate isn't looking for a perfect fit. Nor can an interview predict the future.

They're looking for enough evidence of alignment to make a thoughtful decision.

And please do not forget:  Some fits are for a season, not forever.

A position can be the right fit for the next stage of someone's career without being the place they remain indefinitely.