Culture is a big topic of conversation for employers and job seekers searching for career matches. It may be a conversation worth having, but Erin Rollenhagen, chairwoman of the Technology Association of Iowa, asked golfers at the Nutanix Tech Open to think carefully about the message it sends about prioritizing diversity. 

“There are things you can do that can be unconsciously hurting or helping you. There’s a lot of conversation right now about culture and fit. One thing we have to be really careful of is how that conversation comes off, especially if the current diversity of your workforce isn’t where you want it to be,” Rollenhagen said. “If I picture myself as an applicant and I read a blog post from this company’s HR director about how fit and culture is the most important thing to them, and I look at their leadership team and it’s all white men, am I going to perceive that I will be seen as a candidate who is a good cultural fit for that office? It really depends on how that conversation comes off. 

“We all want teams that are cohesive, and we all want people to get along,” Rollenhagen added. “I think we need to be careful about the way we talk about, what do we mean when we say we want a good fit, or we’re looking for a cultural fit.” 

Rollenhagen’s remarks came during the opening expert panel at June 1’s tech open, where she spoke along with Travis Turnbull of Pella Corp., Dave Tucker of Workiva, Rich Schappert of Casey’s General Stores, and moderator Brad Rasmussen of Merchants Bonding Co.