…is to determine if the candidate’s enrollment in your purpose is possible…to see if she is willing to go where you’re going. The only real way to understand this is to dive deep into the psyche and demonstrated ability of the person…to understand her core values and how she acts, especially when no one is watching. How will she fit (with others) and help us make the change we seek?
A culture based interview is used to build highly engaged and passionate teams. It’s a long-term approach to solve for purpose vs. transaction. It’s likely you can find someone who can do it faster and maybe even better right away. But will they be disruptive, cause tension and drain the enthusiasm from the organization in the process? What’s the cost of immediate efficiency?
Ultimately, figure out if someone is aligned with you at the core. Everything else is extracurricular.