A doctor's call on finding new blood for your healthy team

When your organization moves from a command and control environment to a network of self-managed teams, productivity will increase dramatically—as can turnover.

"There’s good fit – like a glove – or there’s bad fit – like socks on a rooster. In terms of an organization, fit has more to do with adapting to, and embracing an organization’s culture."

In a post regarding hiring for a medical team, Dr.Carol Westfal not only defines the problem, but the solution.

"Different personalities can help you define the cultural orientation of your organization. Becoming aware of the importance and value your organization places on these characteristics will help your interview team identify and define its own culture and make it easier to discover the candidate’s relative fit."

Here are some traits Carol says defines an organization’s culture:

• Customer-focused:

· Compassion.

· Access and patient satisfaction.

· Listening and approachability.

· Dealing with ambiguity.

· Interpersonal savvy.

• Process-focused:

· Planning and execution.

· Managing through systems.

· Priority setting.

· Process compliance.

· Focus on quality.

· Models preferred behaviors.

• Performance-driven:

· History of achieving results.

· Driven to achieve.

· Accountability – self and others.

· Self-manages & self-corrects.

· Strong business acumen.

· Appropriately autonomous.

• Relationship-centered:

· Builds relationships.

· Responds to coaching & feedback.

· Integrity and trust.

· Social skills.

· Organizational agility.

· Loyalty.

In reality, there is no magic bullet for assessing a good long-term fit, but careful appraisals of your organization and corresponding explorations of candidates personal and professional traits, will help you locate good cultural matches that will support your team for the foreseeable future.