Person-Organisation Fit and Misfit: Definitions, Measurement, and Application in English and Chinese

Despite the richness of Person-organisation (PO) fit and PO misfit studies, the definition and measurement of fit and misfit are still “elusive”. The interaction between the person and the work environment is such a broad topic that researchers usually define and measure PO fit and PO misfit based on their research interests. However, the researcher-oriented approach detaches fit and misfit from the psychological meanings. In another vein, the “elusive” nature of fit and misfit makes cross-cultural studies more troublesome.

We start this doctoral thesis with a critical overview and a brief literature review of PO fit, PO misfit and their relevant constructs. Considering the absence of a systematic review of misfit, a systematic review of PE misfit and its relevant constructs in English literature was conducted, this can be found in Chapter 2. Although the measurements of misfit vary, the most commonly used instruments measure degrees of similarity of values and low scores of similarities are interpreted as misfit. In Chapter 3, an examination is made on how low scores of value congruence became the currency of perceived employee misfit (PEM) studies. This is achieved using a historical lens. In Chapter 4, the research focus shifts to examining PO fit in an Eastern context (i.e. China). As a result, Chapter 4 provides a systematic review of the relevant studies conducted in China and written in Chinese. A Chinese model of PE fit is tested in Chapter 5. This chapter provides new insights into this concept in an Eastern context. This doctoral thesis ends with a conclusion of how these findings complement existing knowledge about fit and misfit and suggest future research directions.

This doctoral thesis makes theoretical contributions by providing the first systematic review of employee misfit. It also critiqued the traditional approach to employee misfit measurement and called for the adoption of a quantitative approach that asks employees about their misfit directly. When fit and misfit step into other cultural contexts, the extant Western fit and misfit theories become “void”. This doctoral thesis systematically investigates how fit, the product of Western literature, is interpreted, defined, and measured in China. We extend PO fit in the Eastern context with an empirical study and replicate and extend a Chinese model of person-environment fit into PO fit.