Personality–job fit theory is a form of
organizational psychology
Industrial and organizational psychology (I-O psychology) "focuses the lens of psychological science on a key aspect of human life, namely, their work lives. In general, the goals of I-O psychology are to better understand and optimize the effec ...
, that postulates that an individual's
personality
Personality is any person's collection of interrelated behavioral, cognitive, and emotional patterns that comprise a person’s unique adjustment to life. These interrelated patterns are relatively stable, but can change over long time per ...
traits will reveal insight into their adaptability within an
organization
An organization or organisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences) is an legal entity, entity—such as ...
. The degree of confluence between a person and the organization is expressed as their Person-Organization (P-O) fit.
[Anderson, C, Flynn, F, Spataro, S (2008). Personality and Organizational Culture as Determinants of Influence. Journal of Applied Psychology, 53 (3)] This is also referred to as a person–environment fit.
[Cable, D. M., & Parsons, C. K. 2001. Socialization tactics and person–organization fit. Personnel Psychology, 54(1): 1–23, Spring.] A common measure of the P-O fit is workplace efficacy - the rate at which workers are able to complete tasks. These tasks are affected by environmental factors within the workplace. For example, a worker who is more efficient working as an individual, rather than in a team, will have a higher P-O fit for a workplace that stresses individual tasks (such as accountancy).
[ By matching the right personality with the right job, company workers can achieve a better ]synergy
Synergy is an interaction or cooperation giving rise to a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts (i.e., a non-linear addition of force, energy, or effect). The term ''synergy'' comes from the Attic Greek word συνεργία ' f ...
and avoid pitfalls such as high turnover and low job satisfaction
Job satisfaction, employee satisfaction or work satisfaction is a measure of workers' contentment with their job, whether they like the job or individual aspects or facets of jobs, such as nature of work or supervision. Job satisfaction can be me ...
. Employees are more likely to stay committed to organizations if the fit is 'good'.
In practice, P-O fit would be used to gauge integration with organizational competencies. The individual is assessed on these competencies, which reveals efficacy, motivation
Motivation is an mental state, internal state that propels individuals to engage in goal-directed behavior. It is often understood as a force that explains why people or animals initiate, continue, or terminate a certain behavior at a particul ...
, influence, and co-worker respect. Competencies can be assessed in assessment centres using various tools such as psychological tests and competency-based interview
Competency-based recruitment is a process of recruitment based on the ability of candidates to produce anecdotes about their professional experience which can be used as evidence that the candidate has a given competency. Candidates demonstrate co ...
s.
If an individual displays a high P-O fit, we can say that they would most likely be able to adjust to the company environment and work culture, and perform at an optimum level.
See also
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Notes
Organizational behavior
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