Culture Fit Recruitment Helps Creative Industry Companies Retain Employees, New Study Finds
A new study by Hasnawaty Ronrong of Politeknik ATI Makassar, Indonesia, reveals that recruitment and selection practices based on cultural alignment significantly improve workforce retention in creative industry organizations. The research, titled “The Implementation of Culture Fit–Based Recruitment and Selection Practices on Workforce Retention in the Creative Industry,” was received in December 2025 and accepted for publication in February 2026. The findings highlight that when companies prioritize alignment between employee values and organizational culture during recruitment, employees show stronger loyalty, commitment, and intention to stay with the organization.
The research offers important insights for creative industry companies, where workforce stability is often a major challenge. Creative organizations rely heavily on human talent, yet they frequently face high employee turnover due to flexible work structures, project-based employment, and competitive labor markets.
Creative Industry Growth and Workforce Challenges
Globally, the creative industry has emerged as a major driver of innovation, knowledge-based economies, and cultural production. From design studios and digital media firms to advertising agencies and game developers, creative organizations depend heavily on skilled and innovative human resources.
However, the same characteristics that make the sector dynamic also create workforce instability. Creative employees often have high mobility and numerous career opportunities, which increases the risk of employee turnover.
Human resource management scholars increasingly emphasize that employee retention cannot be achieved solely through financial incentives or formal employment contracts. Instead, long-term employment relationships are shaped by the alignment between individual values and organizational culture.
This alignment is widely known as culture fit, a concept derived from the broader theory of person–organization fit. When employees feel that their values, attitudes, and working styles match the culture of their workplace, they tend to experience stronger job satisfaction, deeper commitment, and greater psychological attachment to the organization.
Research Design and Methodology
To examine the impact of culture fit–based recruitment practices, Hasnawaty Ronrong conducted a quantitative explanatory survey involving employees from creative industry companies.
Key elements of the research methodology include:
- Survey respondents: 75 employees working in creative industry organizations
- Sampling method: purposive sampling
- Eligibility criteria: employees with at least six months of work experience
- Data collection: structured questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale
- Analytical methods: linear regression analysis and mediation analysis using bootstrapping techniques
- Software tools: IBM SPSS and PROCESS Macro
The study focused on three main variables:
- Culture fit–based recruitment and selection
- Organizational commitment
- Workforce retention
Organizational commitment was tested as a mediating variable, meaning it was analyzed as a psychological mechanism linking recruitment practices to employee retention.
Key Findings of the Study
The research provides clear statistical evidence that culture fit–based recruitment has a measurable impact on workforce retention.
Descriptive statistics show that employees generally perceived strong alignment between their values and the culture of their organizations.
Key average scores from the survey include:
- Culture fit–based recruitment and selection: Mean 4.02
- Organizational commitment: Mean 3.95
- Workforce retention: Mean 4.08
These results suggest that employees in the sample reported relatively strong loyalty and intention to remain in their organizations.
Further statistical testing revealed several important findings:
1. Culture fit recruitment significantly increases employee retention
Regression analysis shows a positive and significant relationship between culture fit–based recruitment and workforce retention.
- Regression coefficient: 0.62
- Statistical significance: p < 0.001
- Model explanatory power: R² = 0.38
This means that employees who perceive a strong cultural match with their organization are significantly more likely to remain with the company.
2. Culture fit recruitment strengthens organizational commitment
The study also found that value alignment during recruitment increases employees’ emotional attachment to the organization.
- Regression coefficient: 0.59
- Significance level: p < 0.001
- R² value: 0.35
Employees who feel culturally aligned with their organization are more likely to internalize organizational values and identify with their workplace.
3. Organizational commitment directly increases retention
Organizational commitment emerged as one of the strongest predictors of workforce retention.
- Regression coefficient: 0.67
- Significance level: p < 0.001
- R² value: 0.45
Employees with stronger emotional commitment to their organization show higher loyalty and lower turnover intention.
4. Organizational commitment acts as a key mediator
Mediation analysis using bootstrapping shows that organizational commitment partially mediates the relationship between culture fit recruitment and workforce retention.
- Direct effect of culture fit on retention: 0.34
- Indirect effect via commitment: 0.28
The confidence intervals for both effects did not cross zero, confirming that the mediation effect is statistically significant.
Why Culture Fit Matters for Creative Organizations
The findings demonstrate that recruitment strategies focusing on cultural alignment can strengthen long-term workforce stability.
According to Hasnawaty Ronrong of Politeknik ATI Makassar, cultural compatibility creates a psychological foundation that supports sustainable employment relationships.
Employees who feel that their values match organizational culture tend to experience:
- greater workplace comfort
- stronger emotional attachment to the organization
- higher levels of work engagement
- stronger loyalty and retention intentions
Ronrong explains that recruitment decisions should not focus solely on technical skills.
“Recruitment is not only about selecting competent employees, but also about ensuring value alignment that supports long-term organizational commitment,” Ronrong notes in the study.
Implications for Human Resource Management
The research offers several practical insights for companies in the creative sector.
First, organizations should design recruitment processes that clearly communicate organizational culture and values. Transparent communication helps candidates evaluate whether the workplace environment aligns with their personal beliefs and work preferences.
Second, HR managers should incorporate value-based assessment tools during the selection process. Interviews, behavioral assessments, and organizational culture presentations can help identify candidates whose values match the organization.
Third, organizations should view recruitment as a strategic starting point for employee retention, rather than merely a process for filling vacant positions.
By focusing on cultural alignment from the beginning of employment, companies can reduce turnover risk and improve workforce stability.
Study Limitations and Future Research
The study used a cross-sectional survey design, meaning it captured employee perceptions at a single point in time. Future research could apply longitudinal methods to observe how commitment and retention evolve over longer periods.
In addition, the study relied on perception-based survey data. Although statistical procedures were applied to control potential biases, future research could integrate organizational performance data and qualitative interviews.
Researchers also suggest examining additional factors such as leadership style, workplace flexibility, and organizational support, which may interact with culture fit in shaping employee retention.
Author Profile
Hasnawaty Ronrong’s research focuses on strategic human resource practices, particularly recruitment systems, organizational culture, and workforce sustainability in knowledge-based industries.
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