It is said that it takes something new to produce a startling advance in a company. Sometimes it is a new product or service, but most often, it is a new, talented employee; one that brings new energy, vigor, ideas, and innovation to your marketplace. Talent drives organizations.
Recruitment is a strategic imperative and an important form of business competition.
Given the substantial costs of recruitment and training, employers must consider, in addition to the organization’s needs, the needs of the employees, if they wish to attract top talent.
Just as organizations choose people, people choose organizations that fit their personalities and career objectives.
Used in the wrong way, even the best recruitment tools give poor results. Two methodology traps, that many employers fall into are: not using a structured and planned approach to hiring, and predetermining the selection. Selection processes must involve sound research methodology, data gathering, and analysis. The methodology must be steeped in the scientific method and must integrate quantitative data collection and analysis to identify and select the desired candidate. All pertinent variables must be considered, assessed, and evaluated.
Organizational structure is a complex, interdependent web of relationships and variables, each affecting, impacting, and influencing each other. Every strand; internal and external, spoken and unspoken, tangible and intangible, human and physical, all operate in a harmonic or entropic fashion.
Intangible assets of the organization, such as brand, goodwill, and culture are extremely important to the company’s organizational makeup. An innovative organization must leverage their well known brand and excellent reputation in their recruiting efforts. Organizational culture is the “shared values, expectations, beliefs, and behaviors of the hospital.” The most admired organizations live their culture everyday and go out of their way to communicate it not only to their customers, but also to current employees, as well as prospective hires. Like many important facets, cultural congruence is often overlooked when selecting employees. Careful and methodical selection must evaluate a candidate’s potential for cultural fit. We have all witnessed the damage a talented, “prima donna” can do to a well running corporate culture due to cultural incongruence.
In selecting employees, it is important for an organization to describe the dimensions of its culture – the DNA of the company. This “essence” is invisible to the eye, but is critical in shaping the character of the workplace. The culture is embedded. Generally, the H.R. Department and/or the selection committee will assess individual/job fit based on knowledge, skills, and abilities, and individual/organization fit based on values, personality, and behavior. By linking selection decisions to cultural factors, the company comes closer to ensuring that the correct resident has internalized the strategic interests and core values of the company. In this way, new employees will more likely act in the interests of the company and as a dedicated team member, regardless of formal job responsibilities.
Most progressive organizations strive to convey their culture to new hires (as well as current staff) and the degree of congruency of a new employee is a necessity. According to the management consulting firm, The Hay Group, the single best predictor of overall excellence in a company, was the organization’s ability to attract, retain, and motivate talented people. Organizational culture can either facilitate those activities or inhibit them. Culture is a key to “fit” between employees and their organizations, and is also the “secret to enduring greatness among companies”.
