As the “battle for talent” continues, organisations face a pivotal challenge: balancing technical capability with organisational culture alignment. Both are crucial for long-term success, but striking the right balance can be tricky, as prioritising one over the other can have a significant impact on the appointment and thereby the organisation.
Douglas Adam, Director of Public Sector and Not for Profit at Livingston James, reviews both sides of the coin and how to bring them together.
The Importance of Technical Capability
Technical capability refers to an individual’s skills, experiences and expertise in a particular domain. Hiring based on technical competence ensures:
- performance and productivity – employees with the right technical skills can execute tasks efficiently and drive results
- innovation – skilled employees can bring fresh perspectives, aiding in problem solving
The Significance of Organisational Culture Alignment
Cultural alignment means that the individual shares the same values, beliefs, and behaviours as the company. Hiring for cultural fit ensures:
- employee retention – employees aligned with the company’s culture are more likely to be satisfied and remain longer with the organisation
- team cohesion – shared values promote collaboration, reducing conflicts and fostering a harmonious work environment
- ongoing success – employees who believe in the organisation’s mission and values drive its growth and success
Balancing Technical Capability and Cultural Alignment
Given the clear significance and importance of both these areas, organisations can balance technical capability with cultural alignment through a number of ways:
- Holistic job descriptions – job descriptions or candidate information packs should provide an overview of both technical requirements and cultural aspects. This provides potential candidates with clarity of expectations
- Structured interviews – incorporating both technical assessments and behavioural questions into the interview process can be beneficial. While technical questions gauge competency, behavioural questions can shed light on values and beliefs
- Diverse interview panels – a diverse set of interviewers can provide varied perspectives on a candidate’s technical capability and cultural fit
- Continuous feedback – during onboarding, providing new hires with regular feedback ensures they are supported to align with the technical requirements of their role and also integrate more seamlessly into the company culture
- Training and development – if a candidate shows strong cultural alignment but lacks some technical skills, consider whether those skills can be developed through training. Investing in employee development can yield significant long-term benefits
It would be remiss not to acknowledge the risks and impact of overemphasising one of these important factors over the other. Prioritising technical competence without considering cultural fit can often lead to high employee turnover, lack of team cohesion, and decreased employee morale. It can also prevent the infusion of diverse perspectives and approaches, leading to a stagnant and less adaptable organisational culture.
On the other hand, hiring solely based on cultural fit while overlooking technical expertise can lead to skills gaps within the team; resulting in lower quality of work, delays, and potential financial implications. Prioritising culture fit over technical skills may also lead to heavier investment required into ongoing training and development – often a worthwhile action, but one that can be time-consuming and expensive.
Additionally, an organisation’s culture should be well understood prior to attempting to hire by assessment of cultural fit, and hiring managers should be conscious of the potential for biases. The diversity of the organisation should continue to be monitored to avoid any intentional or unintentional exclusive hiring.
Summary
In conclusion, and whilst we acknowledge it can be tempting at times to prioritise one over the other, a balanced approach to assessing technical capability and organisational culture alignment is essential. Ideally, candidates should be able to evidence both the technical capabilities required for the role and their alignment with the organisation’s cultural values. This should provide the best opportunity for them to contribute effectively to the tasks at hand and integrate seamlessly with the team and organisational culture.
By implementing comprehensive recruitment strategies that weigh and assess both aspects equally, organisations will ensure they hire individuals who not only elevate their technical prowess but also positively contribute to a diverse yet homogeneous organisational culture.
For a discussion on how to ensure the most robust approach to your recruitment processes, please contact Douglas Adam at [email protected].
