"I just don't think they're a good culture fit."

These words have been said a million times right before a hiring manager rejected a candidate who would have added more diversity.

Certainly, culture matters. So why is "culture fit" a bad term?

A good "culture fit" means that the person is likely to adapt to the existing culture. Hiring for this leads to homogeneity.

Everyone has biases. Sometimes we are unconscious of them. Other times people are aware of their biases but they're afraid to explicitly share them. The term "culture fit" is hazy enough that it provides cover for people to feel safe excluding others just because they are different.

The term "culture add" reframes the goal: It's not about finding people who can conform themselves to our existing culture. It's about finding people who can be complementary to the existing culture, adding something new that helps the culture grow in a positive direction.

For example, if a company's existing culture is about drinking beer, a weak company will look for people who fit in and also want to drink beer. A strong and inclusive company will hire someone who don't like beer, but does like DJ-ing and partying with their pet parakeet. With them on the team, drinking beer actually becomes significantly more fun. "Fitting in" is NOT fun. "Adding yourself in" IS fun. Diversity is fun. 🌈

Thanks to the four people who taught me about the advantages of the term "culture add": Amberjae Freeman, Hala Hanna, Jacob Schultz, and Anthony Kinslow II, PhD.

Thank you for the original photography: Ketut Subiyanto, (twice), Helena Lopes (twice), Sound On, Joyce McCown, Brett Sayles, and Avinash Kumar.