SAN DIEGO –November 6, 2008 – In the competitive hunt for top talent, life science organizations should ensure that cultural fit remains a leading factor in the candidate selection process, since an executive’s style and ability to mesh with the current culture is a major determinant of future success or failure. Such was the key message delivered by an expert panel at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) 2008 Human Resources Conference held recently in San Diego.
A distinguished group of HR leaders and top executives from life science organizations ranging from emerging development stage companies to global biotechnology organizations made up the panel, which was organized and moderated by Steven Hochberg, founder and president of Caliber Associates, a nationwide executive search firm exclusively serving the life sciences industry. With its topic, “Getting the Cultural Fit Right: Developing Techniques to Select Senior Management that Will Flourish in Your Organization,” the panel offered practical advice to members of the audience largely composed of human resources leaders gathered at the annual conference held October 26-28 at the Omni San Diego Hotel.
Ensuring a solid cultural fit, explained panel members, starts with an organization recognizing the key attributes of their culture, so they can ensure the candidate will gel with their environment. “Every organization has a formal or informal culture,” Hochberg said. “The key challenge is how well is it articulated and understood. If you’re bringing in candidates to interview, it’s important for the people participating in the selection process to have an understanding of what makes their work environment unique and what attributes are important in their company. This will help them gauge how well a candidate will fit with those attributes.”
Hochberg said some factors for an organization to consider in defining their cultural expectations include: What defines success at their organization? What are the behaviors that are going to work well? What’s the pace of work, the level of formality or informality? Does the organization have a more hierarchal or flat management structure? “Having a real handle on such issues is very important and will greatly enhance the probability of a new executive’s success,” he said.
In terms of practical tools, the panel advised that defining the key cultural attributes desired in a candidate should be a key element of discussion when assembling the selection team, along with the traditional aspects, such as defining the position’s role and scope of responsibilities.
Panelists included: Max Donley, senior vice president of human resources for MedImmune Inc.; Deirdre Gillespie, M.D., president & CEO of La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company; Patricia Lowenstam, former vice president and executive officer at Isis Pharmaceuticals, who is now a principal at MLT Consulting Group; Julie DeMeules, senior vice president of human resources for Santarus; and Rebecca Sunshine, a human resources consultant, who previously led the HR function at companies such as Connectics and Macroflux.
During the interactive session, panelists took questions from audience members and shared insights from their hiring experiences.
About Caliber Associates Caliber Associates is a premier executive search firm specializing exclusively in the life sciences industry. For more than 20 years, Caliber has focused on finding distinctive, intelligent and talented leaders who can drive life sciences organizations forward. With offices in San Diego and suburban Philadelphia, Caliber conducts nationwide searches for clients in biotechnology, global and specialty pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, medical devices and the pharmaceutical services industries. For more information about Caliber, visit www.caliberassociates.com, or contact us at 1-858-551-7880 or Patti Judd at pjudd@juddesign.com
