Perceived person-organization fit and turnover intention in medical centers. The mediating roles of person-group fit and person-job fit perceptions

Date04 June 2018
Pages863-881
Published date04 June 2018
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/PR-03-2017-0085
AuthorAhmed Abdalla,Ahmed Elsetouhi,Abdelhakim Negm,Hussein Abdou
Subject MatterHR & organizational behaviour,Global HRM
Perceived person-organization
fit and turnover intention in
medical centers
The mediating roles of person-group fit and
person-job fit perceptions
Ahmed Abdalla, Ahmed Elsetouhi and Abdelhakim Negm
Department of Management, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt, and
Hussein Abdou
Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics,
Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of the paper is to fill gaps in the existing fit and turnover intention (TI) literature by
investigating a more comprehensive model, in which TI is proposed to be influenced by the interplays of
three multidimensional types of fit including, person-organization (P-O) fit, person-group (P-G) fit, and
person-job (P-J) fit.
Design/methodology/approach Participants were selected from different specializations within
Mansoura University medical centers, where each medical center was represented proportionately within the
sample. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Questionnaires were provided to 850
employees who agreed to participate. Of the 850 questionnaires distributed, 385 were valid and complete
(n¼385). Partial least squares analysis was utilized for the analyses.
Findings Results showed that P-O fit, P-G fit, and P-J fit were positively related to each other and
negatively related to TI. Furthermore, the negative relationship between P-O fit and TI is partially mediated
by P-G fit and P-J fit.
Originality/value The present study simultaneously examines the multidimensional effects of different fit
perceptions on TI. In doing so, we identify which of the fit perspectives influence TI more intensely. Moreover,
the authors advance current insights by investigating the mediating roles of P-G fit and P-J fit in the
relationship between P-O fit and TI.
Keywords Quantitative, Person-organization fit, Turnover intention, Person-job fit, Person-group fit
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
The concept of fit at work has drawn substantial attention during the past several
decades as an important workplace variable (Lauver and Kristof-Brown, 2001; Verquer
et al., 2003). This wide interest could be attributed to its association with many positive
workplace outcomes, including job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and work
performance (Lauver and Kristof-Brown, 2001; Cable and DeRue, 2002; HoVman and
Woehr, 2006).
Retention of employees is of critical importance for organizational success (Barrick and
Zimmerman, 2005). Organizations, therefore, make every effort to hire and retain employees
who perform well on the job and who are unlikely to quit the organization (Astakhova,
2016). Higher turnover intention (TI), however, has been shown to be related with negative
outcomes (e.g. low job satisfaction and low organizational commitment). Identifying TI
antecedents and predictors makes it easier for organizations to determine whether their
potential candidates are likely to contribute effectively and be highly committed (Bretz and
Judge, 1994). Researchers, therefore, continue in their attempts to understand the different
factors that cause employees wanting to quit their organizations.
Personnel Review
Vol. 47 No. 4, 2018
pp. 863-881
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0048-3486
DOI 10.1108/PR-03-2017-0085
Received 27 March 2017
Revised 14 July 2017
Accepted 12 October 2017
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm
863
Perceived P-O
fit and TI
Nevertheless, there are still a number of research gaps and significant limitations.
First, researchers have recently been calling for more integrative research that investigates
multiple types of fit within the same study (Edwards and Shipp, 2007; Jansen and
Kristof-Brown, 2006); however, most of previous fit studies have largely focused on the
relationship between a single rather than multiple types of fit perceptions (e.g. person-
organization (P-O fit), person-job (P-J) fit, or person-vocation (P-V ) fit) with outcomes.
Furthermore, no previous studies have investigated the relationships among multiple fit
perceptions with perhaps few exceptions. Tak (2011), for example, investigated the
relationships between various person-environment (P-E) fit types; however, a need for
additional research analyzing the effects of different fit sub-constructs on outcomes appears
to exist, which delivers us to the second limitation.
Second, despite the rich history of research, different fit perceptions are usually assessed
as single conceptualizations. Previous research on P-O fit, for example, have traditionally
focused on value congruence (e.g. Cable and DeRue, 2002; Lauver and Kristof-Brown, 2001;
Valentine et al., 2002) and have mostly ignored the importance of an alternative form of
congruence between individuals and their organizations that of goal congruence.
Finally, as individuals interact in multiple interdependent environmental levels (e.g. job,
group, and organization) and pe rceive multiple dimensions of fit simultaneously
(Kristof-Brown et al., 2005), this interdependence suggests the need for an integrative
model in which a fit dimension mediates the relationship between another fit dimension and
outcomes (Edwards and Shipp, 2007). The majority of fit studies, however, employ an
additive rather than interactive approach assuming fit dimensions are independent
predictors of work outcomes ( Jansen and Kristof-Brown, 2006). While this approach may be
appropriate for comparing the relative influences of different fit dimensions, it fails to
account for interdependence among these same dimensions (Astakhova, 2016).
In order to fill these research gaps, the present study simultaneously examines the
multidimensional effects of different fit perceptions on TI. More specifically, the present
study examines the relationships among P-O fit (conceptualized as value congruence and
goal congruence), P-G fit (conceptualized as supplementary fit and complementary fit), and
P-J fit (conceptualized as needs-supplies fit and demand-abilities fit) along with their impact
on TI. In doing so, we identify which of the fit perspectives influence TI more intensely.
We chose P-O fit, person-group (P-G) fit, and P-J fit as predictors of TI because employees
attitudinal and behavioral outcomes are better predicted as a function of personal and
situational attributes in interaction (Livingstone et al., 1997). Moreover, we advance current
insights by investigating the mediating roles of P-G fit and P-J fit in the relationship between
P-O fit and TI. This might enhance our understanding of how individuals who fit well with
their organizations prefer to stay especially when they fit well with their working groups as
well as their jobs. Virtually, no previous research has examined this area.
2. Theoretical background
Considerable attention has been directed toward the construct of fit for many years
(Lewin, 1935; Murray, 1938). It broadly refers to the match between individuals interests,
values, needs, and self-cognitions and the attributes of the environment (Edwards et al.,
1998). According to Hollands (1985) theory of fit, individuals are happier and more
successful in their work when their personality matches characteristics of the environment.
2.1 P-O fit
P-O fit is defined as the compatibility between people and the organization that occurs when
at least one entity provides what the other needs, both entities share similar fundamental
characteristics, or both (Kristof, 1996). P-O fit is a branch of research within the larger P-E fit
domain. Central to this domain is the idea that human behavior is a function of the
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