Person-environment fit theory and organizations: Commensurate dimensions, time perspectives, and mechanisms

Abstract

There are many theories of person-environment (PE) fit. One unique feature of the framework is its operationalization-the assessment of the P and E components along commensurate dimensions. This paper describes other facets of the theory, studies which have adhered most strictly to its framework, experiments in improving PE fit, and five areas for future research. One such area is the role of past, present, and anticipated PE fit on well-being and employee behavior. Another is the question of whether there are differences in such outcomes when PE fit is changed by altering P (e.g., abilities and aspirations), E (e.g., job demands and rewards), or some combination. Who brings about the adjustive change (self or other) is also considered as a determinant of employee wellbeing. It is suggested that an adequate intervention theory for improving PE fit in work settings is one which includes the systemic properties of organizations as a predictor of the likelihood and nature of individual change. o 19117 Academic Press, Inc.

Person-Environment Fit: a critical review of the previous studies and a proposal for future research

“…Although Caplan (1987) was of the view that characteristics of the person and of the environment must be assessed along commensurate dimensions, he also stressed the need for these scales not to contaminate each other. Spokane (1987) also said that "most authors agree that commensurate systems for measuring people and environments are desirable, but that measurements of people and environments must be more independent than presently is the case".…”

“…Caplan (1987) himself admitted that where response scales deal with relative quantities (e.g. "1= none", "5 = a lot"), "a lot" may refer to "a lot compared to what others have" or "a lot compared to my ability to handle the work".…”

“…Therefore a contamination between the P and E variables will result. Caplan (1987) recommended a move away from the relative response if the independent contributions of P and E are to be assessed, perhaps by using absolute quantities e.g. number of hours spent working or number of jobs to do.…”

Task Routing and Assignment in Crowdsourcing based on Cognitive Abilities

“…The theoretical foundations of our study are based on the wellestablished Person-Environment fit theory [5], but in particular the Person-Job fit domain [32]. Person-job fit is defined as the compatibility between a person's characteristics and those of a specific job [32].…”

An Investigation of Work-Related Stress among High School Teachers in the Hhohho Region of Swaziland

“…For example, personality and values are often used in conceptualizing P-E Fit. Although both personality and values are considered relatively stable, values are less stable than personality and susceptible to the variety of changes and the influences of new environments (Caplan, 1987;Ryan & Kristof-Brown, 2003;Sekiguchi, 2004). Therefore, while fit in terms of personality similarity may be relatively stable, fit in terms of value congruence may change over time.…”