Organizational Fit: Key Issues and New Directions (2013, Wiley-Blackwell)
Edited by Amy L. Kristof-Brown and Jon Billsberry
Rationale
2007 saw the publication of the first book dedicated to the concept of organisational fit. This book, entitled Perspectives on Organizational Fit, was edited by noted academics in the field, Cheri Ostroff and Timothy A. Judge. It was published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates in their Organizational Frontiers Series. The book contains contributions from many of the leading authorities in the field. The chapters explore definitional, methodological and statistical issues and the final chapter, by Timothy A Judge, pulls together a state of the art review of the topic. This summary captures the argument of the book which is towards greater methodological and definitional rigour, a move away from subjective and perceived forms of fit, a separation of research into different categories of fit, and a questioning of whether fit has any value above a more general orientation to jobs and organisations. Judge ends by saying, 'I do believe that there are some problems that are seemingly intractable. However, it is at times like this that the greatest innovations are made' (p.441). In many ways this book marks the end of the first period in fit research. It marks a moment in time when fit researchers have honed their methodological approaches and gathered a large amount of data that has left them wondering, "What exactly is this thing called fit?"
We find ourselves intellectually provoked by this question, and our goal for this new book is to stimulate further conceptual progress on the topic of organizational fit. In particular, we want to use the book to encourage new research that explores: 1) how people form their impressions of fit, 2) how these evolve over time, and 3) how misfit differs as a psychological state from fit. Hence, we encourage grounded, constructivist and interpretivist approaches in addition to the positivist ones that dominate the mainly American literature (and the Perspectives on Organizational Fit book). And we want to explore lessons from related fields such as identity, deviance, embeddedness, belongingness and work/life balance. Importantly, we believe that fit does have a future and that to make headway we need to encourage fundamental research that re-establishes the nature and impact that people's sense of fit has on their behaviour. We hope this book will be a catalyst that will stimulate a resurgence of interest in the concept of fit.
The book was published and available at 'all good booksellers' at the end of 2012, although the 'official' publication date is 2013.
Table of Contents
1. Fit for the Future
Amy L. Kristof-Brown and Jon Billsberry
PART ONE: NEW DIRECTIONS WITHIN THE FIT PARADIGMS
2. A Motivational Model of P-E Fit: Exploring the Psychological Experience Underlying Antecedents of P-E Fit
Kang Yang Trevor Yu
3. Dyadic Fit and the Process of Organizational Socialization
John D. Kammeyer-Mueller, Pauline Schilpzand, and ALex L. Rubenstein
4. A Self-Regulation Approach to Person-Environment Fit
Russell E. Johnson, Meng U. Taing, Chu-Hsiang Chang, and Cristina K. Kawamoto
5. Person-Organization Fit, Organizational Citizenship, and Social-Cognitive Motivational Mechanisms
Christian J. Resick, Tomas R. Giberson, Marcus W. Dickson, Kevin T. Wynne, and Linda M. Bajdo
PART TWO: NEW DIRECTIONS FOR THE FIT PARADIGMS
6. The Construal of Person-Organization Fit during the ASA Stages: Content, Source, and Focus of Comparison
Annelies E. M.Van Vianen, J. W. Stoelhorst, and Marije E. E. De Goede
7. Exploring the Middle Range of Person-Environment Fit Theories through a Conservation of Resources Perspective
Anthony R. Wheeler, Jonathon R. B. Halbesleben, and Kristen Shanine
8. Mapping Fit: Maximizing Idiographic and Nomothetic Benefits
Jon Billsberry, Danielle L. Talbot, and Véronique Ambrosini
9. A Review and Agenda for Incorporating Time in Fit Research
Karen J. Jansen and Abbie J. Shipp
10. Fitting Person-Environment Fit Theories into a National Cultural Context
Yih-teen Lee and Aarti Ramaswami
Contributors
Véronique Ambrosini, Monash University
Linda M. Bajdo, Macomb Community College
Jon Billsberry, Deakin University
Chu-Hsiang Chang, Michigan State University
Marije E. E. De Goede, Rathenau Institute
Marcus W. Dickson, Wayne State University
Tomas R. Giberson, Oakland University
Jonathon R. B. Halbesleben, University of Alabama
Karen J. Jansen, University of Virginia
Russell E. Johnston, Michigan State University
John D. Kammeyer-Mueller, University of Florida
Cristina K. Kawamoto, University of South Florida
Amy L. Kristof-Brown, University of Iowa
Yih-teen Lee, University of Navarra
Aarti Ramaswami, ESSEC Paris
Christian J. Resick, Drexel University
Alex L. Rubenstein, University of Florida
Pauline Schilpzand, Oregon State University
Kristen Shanine, University of Alabama
Abbie J. Shipp, Texas A&M
J. W. Stoelhorst, University of Amsterdam
Meng U. Taing, University of South Florida
Danielle L. Talbot, Coventry University
Annelies E. M. Van Vianen, University of Amsterdam
Anthony R. Wheeler, University of Rhode Island
Kevin T. Wynne, Wayne State University
Kang Yang Trevor Yu, Nanyang Technological University
Endorsements
If this volume is an indication of the next generation of fit research, then we're in for an exciting ride! The authors represent a wide variety of viewpoints on fit, and provide relevant suggestions on how research in this domain can continue to thrive.
Dan Cable, Professor of Organisational Behaviour, London Business School
This book represents a fine compendium of thinking about what fit is, the motivations of people to seek it, the antecedents of achieving it, and the consequences of having – and not having it – at work. The consequences, indeed, extend to performance of the individual and the organizations in which people work. The chapters offer a broad range of insights into the fit process and contain many useful suggestions for – indeed pleas for – future research efforts on this important psychological phenomenon.
Benjamin Schneider, Senior Research Fellow, CEB Valtera, Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland
The idea of "fit" is central to every aspect of every employee's worklife. An employee who says to her or himself, "I just don't fit in here" is expressing a view that s/he would prefer to be somewhere else. In other words, working in an organization that does not fit can be like wearing a shoe size that does not fit; it's great to get out of. In this situation, it is most pleasing to see publication of a volume that offers such a wide range of different views on the topic of fit. An especial strength of the volume is that it is not restricted to one epistemological view, thus enabling a broader coverage of the field than has been the case in the literature to date. Thus, while readers might not agree with the views of one particular chapter's authors, there is sure to be at least one other model or perspective with which they will feel comfortable. As such, and as is reflected in the title, this is a volume for the future of research in this field. I have little doubt that it will serve to generate a surge of interest in the concept and importance of fit in organizational research.
Neal Ashkenasy, Professor of Management at the University of Queensland and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Organizational Behavior
This book pushes the boundaries of research and thinking research about fit in organizations. Throughout the chapters, the authors tackle a broad array of under-explored topics, and in doing so, provide new understanding about the process of how people fit into organizations. Anyone interested in fit will want to read this book.
Cheri Ostroff, Professor of Industrial/Organizational Psychology, University of Maryland