Content and Development of Newcomer Person–Organization Fit: An Agenda for Future Research

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the development of person-organization (PO) fit during newcomers’ socialization, and their PO fit after this period. We present a review of socialization research that has examined newcomers’ PO fit before, during, and after socialization took place. We also discuss the nature of possible changes in PO fit during socialization and the causes of these changes—changes in the organization, the person, or both. We conclude this chapter with an agenda for future research, in which we propose four themes that need further examination: (a) the causes and consequences of poor PO fit, (b) changes over time in newcomers’ PO fit perceptions, (c) the sources of these perceptions, and (d) possible interaction effects of different forms of fit.