Culture Fit vs. Culture Add

 

A: If hiring is starting to feel like a personality test, you’re not alone. Lots of companies hit this exact stage of growth.  

 

Culture fit tends to mean: “Do they feel like us?” Shared values, similar work styles, easy rapport. It’s a quick way to build cohesion, especially early on.  

 

But if every hire feels like a reflection of who’s already on the team, you may be missing a critical piece of sustainable growth: diversity of thought, perspective, and experience.  

 

That’s where culture add comes in. It reframes the question from “Do they fit in?” to “What can they bring that we don’t already have?” It’s not about being contrarian for the sake of it — it’s about intentional growth.  

 

Here’s an example: One of our clients — a wealth management firm — wanted to diversify their service offerings and attract younger clients. Up to that point, their hiring had leaned heavily on traditional finance backgrounds (CFAs who’d spent years in big institutions and had very similar networks and strategies).  

 

When a candidate with a background in community development and a nontraditional look (tattoos, piercings) applied, they weren’t sure she was the “right fit.” She was a CFP, yes — but she’d also spent years helping first-generation clients manage debt and build wealth from scratch. She approached financial advice with empathy and accessibility.  

 

They took a chance.  

 

She brought in clients they’d never reached before, launched financial literacy programs, and helped rewrite the company’s website to speak with less jargon and more clarity. She didn’t just mesh with the culture — she reshaped it in a way that supported their growth goals.  

 

 

As your company scales, it’s worth asking: Are we building a team that looks just like us, or one that helps us grow into who we want to become next?