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"Organ Rejection" Critical Reason For Failure Of Newly Recruited ExecutivesCandidates More Often Being Eliminated For Not Fitting Company’s CultureThursday; July 6, 2006 Candidates for executive positions frequently experience “organ rejection” – being rejected by companies if they don't fit in with its culture, according to Salveson Stetson Group, a full-service retained executive search firm
“Lack of cultural fit is one of the biggest reasons why newly recruited executives fail,” according to Sally Stetson, co-founder and principal with the 10-year-old executive search firm. “Assessing the suitability of candidates to an organization’s culture can significantly improve the success rate of new hires.”
Added John Salveson, co-founder and principal with Salveson Stetson Group (www.ssgsearch.com): “Candidates may have outstanding technical skills, accomplishments that match the job requirements, and have worked at the ‘right’ companies, but their leadership styles, interpersonal skills, and approaches to making decisions may not mesh with the way the company works. A candidate who was enormously successful in one company can fall flat on his or her face with another due to culture fit issues.”
To increase the success rate of newly recruited executives, Salveson Stetson Group recommends:
Be realistic about your organization’s culture, and allow your search firm to get to know it. “It isn’t unheard of for a company to develop a candidate profile in direct conflict with those abilities most highly prized by its culture,” said Stetson. “The skills of the newly recruited executive must match those you need to do the job, as well as those that fit in with others at your company. For instance, you may think you need a driven, ‘take no prisoners’ type of operations vice president, but if you have a culture which values collaboration, he or she will struggle to be successful”.
Don’t just look at what the candidate did. Look at how they achieved it. “While you would never want to downplay an executive’s ability to achieve results, you need to understand how he or she gets them,” Salveson said. “A sales leader who hits100 percent of his or her target on a yearly basis – but has a turnover rate 40 percent above the industry average because he or she manages by intimidation – may or may not be the person you want running your sales organization.”
A strong on-boarding process will help newly recruited executives during their first months on the job. “You have made a tremendous financial investment bringing this executive to your company, and you’re about to entrust a large chunk of the organization’s future success to him or her. Give your new hire a user’s manual,” said Stetson. “A comprehensive on-boarding process that identifies cultural taboos, introduces key internal stakeholders, and takes the pulse of the business unit/department the new executive is inheriting will significantly decrease the ramp-up time and can turn a potential hiring mistake into a key contributor to your leadership team.”
Reference-checking is extremely helpful in assessing cultural fit. “Many candidates don't have enough insight to fully understand how they are perceived as leaders, or to be able to describe the type of environment in which they flourish. A 360-degree reference check with bosses, peers, customers, and subordinates can help create a much more accurate picture of the candidate under consideration,” said Salveson.
Constantly evaluate your success in hiring high-performing executives. “There are plenty of companies out there who have a miserable track record when it comes to hiring executives in key positions, but they have no idea why,” said Salveson. “Conduct exit interviews with your mis-hires. Revisit the interviewing process and the candidate profile you developed. Take a hard look at whether you overlooked some key cultural concerns in favor of a candidate’s blue-chip resume and dynamic communication style. More importantly, identify some common themes in your successful hires, and incorporate them into your process.” About Salveson Stetson GroupSalveson Stetson Group (www.ssgsearch.com) is a full-service retained executive search firm founded in 1996. Specializing in $150,000+ salaried positions, Salveson Stetson Group places executives at organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to non-profit entities. The company is based in suburban Philadelphia. MEDIA CONTACT: |
