Apr. 2009, Volume 8, No.4 (Serial No.

70) China-USA Business Review, ISSN 1537-1514, USA

Person-culture fit based on interaction of enterprise

culture and recruitment

WANG Wei-hong1, WANG Wei-peng2

(1. School of Business Management, Shandong University of Finance, Jinan 250014, China;
2. Department of Economics and Management, Weifang Institute, Weifang 261061, China)

Abstract: Based on theoretical support of adaptation theory and new expectation theory, this paper proposes
that enterprise culture and recruitment interact each other. Enterprise culture plays the role of filtering and guiding
in the enterprise recruitment, while recruitment is the propaganda tool, advantageous route, strategic measure and
inevitable choice for enterprise culture. Effective recruitment strategies are helpful for the enterprise to achieve
the fit between person and culture, and enhance the competitive advantage of the enterprise, thus reduce the
employee turnover rate.
Key words: recruitment; recruitment strategy; enterprise culture; fit

1. Preface

Entering the 21st century, people is a firm’s sustainable factor only, and has become the first national
resources and competitive advantage. In human resources management activities of an enterprise, the employers
are often confronted with such a situation: the employer invests a lot of human, material and financial resources
etc, but the applicants quit in a short term. The surface factors may be compensation, but the actual deeper reasons
under the iceberg are: the employees’ personal comprehensive skills fit with the position requirements, while
personal character is incompatible with enterprise culture. Recruitment is rather for the enterprise than for the
position. The purpose of recruitment is to lead to the forming of productivity, a successful recruitment embodies in
how many applicants that the enterprise keeps, but not how many it recruits. In order to avoid the circle of “recruit
for skill, fire for unsuited culture”, fit between the enterprise and the employees is essential.

2. Theoretical support

Adaptation theory and new expectation theory give the good theoretical support. The adaptation theory in
biological world tells us: the existence of the organism in a changing world is influenced by environment. Also,
people in the management system is influenced by social and natural environment. New expectation theory
proposed by 2002 economic Nobel Prize winner Kahaneman Tversky suggests that the early phrase of screening
for employees should be mainly concerned with the requirements of the working capability, namely
person-position fit. The later phrase of screening for employees should focus on individual values, namely

WANG Wei-hong, associate professor, School of Business and Management, Shandong University of Finance; research field:
enterprise management.
WANG Wei-peng, associate professor, Department of Economics and Management, Weifang Institute; research field: enterprise
management.

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 Person-culture fit based on interaction of enterprise culture and recruitment

person-culture fit. That is to say, the early phrase of recruitment is mainly for knowledge, skills and competence,
focus on hard skills suitable for the position. But the later phrase is mainly for values and personality, emphasized
on the inherent characteristics of employees. Both of the two are important for an enterprise to seek for employees
with high quality and high satisfaction. Actually, it’s easy to grasp new knowledge and technology, while very
difficult for individual values to be adjusted suitable for organization culture.

3. The interaction of the enterprise culture and recruitment

As an old saying: all with one mind and one heart will win. In the process of recruitment, person-culture fit
will enhance identity between the employees and employer, which will be beneficial to the long-term development
of the enterprise. The interaction of the enterprise recruitment and culture are as follows:
3.1 The role of enterprise culture in recruitment
3.1.1 Filter
It is easy for a competitive enterprise to obtain the best employers, but the most outstanding is not the most
appropriate for the enterprise, they may be “look more at home across the street”. If the employers choose
employees based on the enterprise culture, through “magnetic field” effect, it can avoid subsequent heart-breaking
loss of employees.
3.1.2 Guide
An enterprises shows culture in the process of recruitment, which can be conducive to the promotion of
better understanding of the applicants, and the applicants can make an accurate and comprehensive understanding
of self evaluation and position for career choices, provides the basis to switch from “contract” to “fit”.
3.2 The role of recruitment in enterprise culture
3.2.1 One of the propaganda tool for enterprise culture
In the process of recruitment, potential employees know enterprise culture, especially the enterprise’s core values,
mission and goal, so the enterprise can achieve the purpose of recruitment and have a very good publicity effect.
3.2.2 An advantageous route for integrating culture.
The enterprise adopts recruitment strategy based on corporate culture and implement cultural integration in
the process of recruitment. After the completion of enterprise recruitment, the corporate culture can also obtain
corresponding construction, promotion, strengthening and inheritance.
3.2.3 A strategic measure for the execution of enterprise culture
Recruitment is the access of enterprise human resources management, and has become the first step for the
implementation of the enterprise culture. The employer has the power of screening the applicant who descents the
enterprise culture, and the effect of recruitment will bring far-reaching influence to the integration of enterprise culture.
3.2.4 The inevitable choice of updating enterprise culture
The development of enterprise culture should keep pace with the development of enterprises. The high-level
personnel recruitment based on the enterprise culture will help enterprises find the needed employees who can
bring fresh blood for enterprise culture and promote enterprise's further development.

4. Conclusion

4.1 Person-culture fit is the second fit besides for person-position fit
The key of retaining people is to retain heart, so person-culture fit is helpful for the employees to be adaptive

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 Person-culture fit based on interaction of enterprise culture and recruitment

to the enterprise, the enterprise can establish mutual trust and stable employment relationship, and finally achieve
the rapid and harmonious development.
4.2 Person-culture fit should be stratified executed
We do not advocate that all employees should fit with the enterprise culture, sometimes appropriate
heterogeneity can keep the enterprise vigorous and innovative. So as to the top managers in the enterprises, the
employer can appropriately reduce fit request, when it turn to the ordinary enterprise employees, the employer
should raise fit requirements.
4.3 Person-culture fit should be dynamically executed
The employer cannot treat person-culture fit as the same, so contingency theory is applicable, in the initial
period of the enterprise, it is essential for the enterprise to make higher fit requirements. But with the development
of the enterprise, it is beneficial for the employer to keep heterogeneous.

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