"I have been in on hiring people where 'culture fit' has been a topic. On at least three occasions I can think of people hired for a team where yellow flags raised during the interview under the rubric of culture fit actually did become problem later on: failures in ability to argue or communicate honestly or effectively; superiority complexes glimpsed during an interview turned into unneeded friction later on, etc."
Are these really culture fit issues, though? Does anyone pride themselves on having a culture of miscommunication?
Not a culture built on miscommunication, but there are typically going to be different norms around communication.
E.g. can you approach the C-suite directly, or have to go through their assistants? Can meeting participants cut things off if it's unproductive, or is that feedback shared privately afterward? Is really vigorous (perhaps intimidating) debate an expectation, or are people more laid back about discussing ideas? To what extent can you express emotions, and which emotions? Two companies can totally be "feedback-oriented" yet drastically differ on when, how, and to whom feedback is given/received—none objectively The Right Way, just different cultures.
To me this is all culture, hard to judge pre-hire, and hard to adopt if it's really not your style.
At the same time, these are all things that can be easily communicated after the person is hired. Nothing on this list should even be thought of when interviewing someone.
Well, to be fair, the article has a slanted view of 'culture fit'. While the article says several times that 'culture fit' can mean anything, the examples it gives keep returning to evening drinking, and implies bro-culture as the problem.
In the instances I encountered, 'culture fit' was the phrase we used to describe it. Communication style counts. Does the person have a sense of humor? I'm not talking about enduring off-color jokes or remarks, but are they going to be on the same page as the rest of the team about when it's ok to be a goof, and when it's better to just shut up and get work done? How does this person react to a crisis? Different teams have different tolerances.
Are these really culture fit issues, though? Does anyone pride themselves on having a culture of miscommunication?