Does culture matter?

I thought this was an intriguing article for a number of reasons-->

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/05/when_choosing_a_job_culture_ma.html?goback=.gde_164686_member_112577132

We talk all the time with our clients and candidates about finding the right "culture match".  Are we really trying to dig into that or simply use a catch phrase that can be thrown out without any true consideration?  My boss just reminded me of this the other day when he asked if I remembered being recruited to come work for Capstone nearly ten years ago.

Culture was undoubtedly the number one reason I made my move.  I think back to how I dug into the culture and the little things really did matter.  I wanted work/life balance, I wanted my boss to know and care about my personal life, my kids are important to me and I needed that to be important to my colleagues, I wanted to work in an entrepreneurial setting where I was empowered to make decisions that my bosses would stand behind.  I could go on and on.  But I also wonder how many of our candidates are really asking these questions and additionally are they getting the answers they need?

I also just hung up with a longtime client who admitted that he does manage his employees with the human side of the equation.  Each of us has personal matters that carry over to the job.  Is that a good thing?  Is that a bad thing?  How does that impact our work performance?  It is a fine line, but I would argue that the most engaged employees are ones that feel their employer cares about culture match, going all the way back to the initial interview process.

Would you agree?