Recruiting for impact: a guide to successful public appointment recruitment - Shift from 'culture fit' to 'values alignment'

'Culture fit' often reinforces sameness and unconscious bias. Public appointments need shared purpose, not identical personalities.

• Define organisational values behaviourally.
• Assess candidates on how they express these values through their own style and experience.
• Embrace constructive challenge and diversity of thought.
• Recognise that sector knowledge can come from adjacent roles, lived experience or community leadership.

Values alignment supports diversity while protecting organisational integrity and good governance.