The head of the HR department at a well-known fast food company hired a consultant to help find candidates for a leadership position. The last hire for this role was, to quote the HR Head, "a disaster."
"He just did not mesh with the rest of the leadership team. He wanted to be addressed formally by his title ("Dr. X") even though everyone else goes by their first name. He also insisted on a corner office, grumbled about the shabbiness of his office furniture, and repeatedly requested a designated parking space. He spent more time complaining than doing his work. Everyone was relieved when he decided to leave the company after having been here for less than a year."
Suspecting that a difference in values caused the lack of fit between the new hire and the rest of the leadership team, the consultant used the Reiss Motivation Profile® (RMP) to assess the corporate culture — specifically, the core values of most importance to the top leaders. Not surprisingly, the RMP motives of Power (the need for achievement and influence) and Curiosity (the desire to think deeply) were shared by most of the executives.
Of particular interest was the finding that a weak need for RMP Status characterized all five members of the leadership team. Status is defined as the desire for respect based on social standing. People with a weak need for this basic desire value social equality. They tend to be informal individuals who typically exhibit behaviors associated with ordinary people – for example, wearing casual clothes, expecting to be addressed by their first names, and buying products without concern for their prestige value.
People with a weak need for RMP Status typically dislike elitist behavior because it conflicts with their belief in egalitarianism. The behaviors exhibited by the new hire that irked the other top leaders were those characteristic of an individual with a strong need for Status. Such people like to feel important ("Call me Dr. X") and are motivated to acquire symbols of success (e.g., a prestigious corner office, designer furniture, preferred parking).
The consultant concluded that the leadership team was focused on achievement (e.g., increasing market share) whereas the failed hire was concerned mostly with his social standing (e.g., being perceived as important). Their different goals led to frustration for both sides. Going forward, it was recommended that only candidates with a weak or average need for RMP Status be interviewed for the open leadership position — a recommendation that eventually resulted in a successful hire.