Impact of Sub-Cultures on P-O Fit: Harmony or Discord - Thesis Proposal Example

The concept of person-organization fit (P-O fit) has produced a plethora of research and discussions by researchers and managers over the last decade that have been concerned with the precursors and consequences of the congruence between the organization and their employees or proposed employees.

Research on P-O fit now considers the fit between employees and their jobs, their co-workers, and their supervisors, and is no longer focused on only their fit with the organization.

          A number of theories, such as Schneider’s (1987) attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory, suggest that employees choose employment with a company they perceive as a good fit; management employees with minimal P-O fit however will choose to leave their company of employment. Others like Chatman, Wong & Joyce (2008) claim that even though a management employee may have a low P-O fit with an organization they still seek and gain employment with that organization and may stay for a number of reasons connected with entrenchment (Harman, Lee, Mitchell, Felps & Owen, 2007). In such cases, they often stay with the organization but operate in less prominent or powerful positions of leadership (Meyerson & Scully, 1995). The implication from these theories is that an organization is a single, constant and homogenous culture if employees are able to determine their fit within them.

            Another body of P-O fit research and literature asserts that an organization consists of a number of sub-cultures based on levels of hierarchy, workgroups, or functions (Ostroff, Yuhyung & Kinicki, 2005). Pate, Beaumont & Price (2006) claim that employees may gain fit within these sub-cultures over time; for example, a person may increase fit with their peers if they are working with them consistently while at the same time not increasing their P-O fit with the company’s policies or philosophy. Boisner & Chapman (2003) argue that sub-cultures may be characterized by an organization’s core values but also have values that are peculiar to their group, so they may have maximum fit with the organization in terms of their core values but not in terms of their own values. If an organisation changes or does not live up to their values or where sub-cultures may consider the organization as not having done so, then the negative repercussions and consequences may be irreparable.

Purpose

The research questions ask whether the P-O fit is advantageous and whether it is achievable.

          The research will employ a mixed-method approach and employ both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.