Should companies hire for a culture fit? Yes, but how about we call it a match for values

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Radhika Panjwani is a former journalist from Toronto and a blogger.

When academic Kyle Brykman co-founded TalentFit, a tech startup that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to match job applicants and companies based on “culture fit,” some people feared the approach would erode an organization’s diversity, equity and inclusiveness efforts.

“Hiring for ‘culture fit,’ has got a bad reputation because people fixate on the terminology,” noted Prof. Brykman, an assistant professor of management at University of Windsor’s Odette School of Business.

“My experience is that it often gets thought of as an organization where everyone’s the same or homogeneous.” He said he would never advise organizations to hire people that all have similar traits or backgrounds. “For me, it means finding people who share common values and common approaches to work.”