This activity is designed to help MBA students internalize the idea that effective hiring goes far beyond academic qualifications and technical competence. The activity begins by placing students in the role of an HR leadership team in an organization that has strong performance metrics but increasing cultural misalignment and employee turnover. Students are first given a brief organizational context, including the company’s mission, values, leadership philosophy, and recent people-related challenges. They are also provided with several fictional candidate profiles that look equally strong on paper but differ subtly in attitudes, motivations, ethical orientation, and behavioral tendencies.
The activity is conducted in three phases. In the first phase, students work in small groups to identify the core values and behavioral competencies required for the role. They must articulate what “fit” means for this organization—not in abstract terms, but in observable behaviors. In the second phase, students design structured behavioral interview questions aimed at uncovering candidates’ value systems, decision-making styles, and long-term orientation. They then conduct live role-play interviews, with some students acting as candidates and others as interviewers. Faculty observers subtly introduce constraints such as time pressure or conflicting opinions to mirror real hiring situations.
In the final phase, students reflect on how biases, first impressions, and assumptions influenced their decisions. They compare resume-based decisions with behavior-based insights and debate cases where technically strong candidates may be poor cultural fits. The outcome of the activity is a deep appreciation of the person–organization fit, competency-based interviewing, and ethical hiring practices. Students learn that poor hiring decisions are often the root cause of long-term organizational dysfunction and that HR’s strategic role lies in safeguarding culture, not merely filling vacancies.
To provide feedback follow: https://www.linkedin.com/school/sahrdaya-institute-of-management-studies-kodakara