Johanna Rothman has a great post up about how the resignation of Larry Summers from Harvard was bound to happen because he was not a fit for the culture.
Cultural fit is critically important for any knowledge worker. I don't know enough about other kinds of roles, but I suspect it's equally important for other jobs. Make sure that when you hire, you consider how a person fits into your culture--even if you want to change it.
I am not commenting on or validating Summers' viewpoints, but this point is well-taken.
I have met with countless of people who I know could "change" or "update" an organization, but never get their foot in the door because they are a lightning rod for criticism.
Change must come out slowly, as Rothman says. To force change by bruteforce (to use hacker terminology) is, unfortunately, impossible. But, to bring change about gradually is not only a masterful art form, it is absolutely critical to survival in the attention economy. -- Before you can blink--unless you're constantly changing--your entire marketplace will simply look the other way.
My recommendation? Pay very close attention to the candidate with the purple tie.
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