Expanding person-environment fit research

Abstract

This dissertation encompasses three empirical essays, in which personenvironment fit research is expanded and tested for antecedents, moderators and outcomes. Essay 1 proposes the concept of overall fit judgment and examines its role in the fit assessment process. We also developed and validated a scale for measuring it, and empirically evaluated its mediating role between different types of PE fit and various work outcomes. Essay 2 focuses on outcomes that have been widely established and searched for the boundary condition of PJ fit with the following research question: does fitting a job always matter? Learning goal orientation (LGO) as an individual preference is proposed as a moderator of demands-abilities PJ fit. The moderated mediation model largely supported the moderating role of LGO on the indirect effect of demands-abilities PJ fit on outcomes such as task performance and OCB. Finally, Essay 3 turns attention toward antecedents of fit, especially how followers’ fit can be enhanced by leaders’ behaviors. We focused specifically on transactional, transformational, and instrumental leadership behaviors and their relationships with various types of fit. Furthermore, we investigated whether leaders’ general fit plays a role in moderating the above-mentioned relationships. Together, these three essays offer new insights and propose new research opportunities on PE fit with practical implications for managers.