The One Thing That Cultural Fit Can’t Tell You

The Challenge

The Client in Focus:
A small, growing, construction firm was expanding and needed to fill a critical Office Manager role to handle complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives. Believing they could speed up the process, the hiring team opted to use only the non-cognitive version of the PXT Select (PXTS), focusing only on behavioral and motivational fit.

The Impact:
They found a candidate who aligned beautifully with the company’s culture, communicated well, and seemed to have the right attitude. However, once hired, it became clear that while she was personable and well-liked, she struggled to keep pace with the cognitive demands of the role, particularly in analyzing complex data, anticipating project implications, and problem-solving. The rest of the team, highly analytical and fast-paced, often had to slow down to accommodate her learning curve. After only a few weeks of frustration the employee was asked to leave.

The turnover cost the company:

• Recruiting, onboarding, and training expenses.

   

• Lost productivity.

   

• A dip in morale as the team had to absorb extra workload.

   

The Strategic Solution

Our Diagnosis:
When we reviewed the case, it was clear that the client had done an excellent job assessing behavioral and cultural alignment, but missed a crucial element: cognitive fit. Without measuring communication and problem-solving speed, they had no way to predict whether the candidate could keep pace with the team’s performance level.

The Recommended Fix:
We recommended implementing the full PXTS assessment for all future hires, including the cognitive component, to ensure the right balance between cultural fit and cognitive capacity. This holistic approach screens for:

• Verbal and numerical reasoning abilities.

   

• Behavioral tendencies.

   

• Interests and motivators for long-term engagement.

The Takeaway

The Big Picture:
Cultural fit is critical, but it’s only half the story. Without understanding a candidate’s cognitive alignment to the role and team, even the most likable hire can struggle to meet performance expectations. The full PXTS doesn’t just prevent costly mismatches, it builds stronger, more resilient teams from the start.