The Effects of Congruence Between Person and Environment on Innovation Performance in Ports.

Daokui Jiang,Zhuo Chen,Lei Ning,Teng Liu,Tianci Huang,Su Wang,Xiaoyan Zhang

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.732660

Abstract

The projected growth and rapid technological development in maritime transportation will create demand for a newly skilled and motivated workforce in the port sector. Thus, it is important for ports to attract, recruit and retain talented employees to promote innovation and enhance competitive advantages. This manuscript focuses on the welfare and talent of port staff from the perspective of person-environment (P-E) fit. Using polynomial regression with response surface analysis, this study explores the effect of P-E fit on job satisfaction, work engagement and innovation performance, and bootstrapping is applied to confirm the mediating roles of job satisfaction and work engagement in the relationship between P-E fit and innovation performance. Results show that (1) need-supply (N-S) fit and demands-abilities (D-A) fit improved port employees’ job satisfaction, work engagement and innovation performance, and the impacts on work engagement and innovation performance show an inverted “U” and “U” shape, respectively; (2) D-A fit is more important when job satisfaction plays a mediating role; and (3) N-S fit makes a greater contribution when work engagement mediates the effect of P-E fit on the innovation performance. These findings contribute to P-E fit research as well as to human resource management practices in ports.

Highlights

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on global supply chains at every level, including the port and shipping industry
This study uses polynomial regression with response surface analysis to explore the quadratic effect of N-S fit and D-A fit on job satisfaction, work engagement and innovation performance among port employees, and the mediating role of job satisfaction and work engagement in the relationship between N-S fit and D-A fit and innovation performance are tested by bootstrapping
The following conclusions are drawn: (1) N-S fit and D-A fit improve port employees’ job satisfaction, work engagement and innovation performance, and the impacts on work engagement and innovation performance are inverted “U” and “U” shaped, respectively; (2) job satisfaction has a mediating effect on the quadratic effect of Person-environment fit (P-E fit) on work engagement, and D-A fit is more important in the process; and (3) work engagement mediates the quadratic effect of P-E fit on the innovation performance of port employees, and N-S fit makes a greater contribution

Summary

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on global supply chains at every level, including the port and shipping industry. Port and terminal operations were heavily affected by the overall reduction in cargo volume due to the pandemic (PwC, 2021). World trade is showing signs of recovery, with most economic sectors resuming activities (International Monetary Fund [IMF], 2020). Shipping through steamships and containerization has always been a key initial factor driving world trade development, while digitalization and innovation will be another important factor in the future. Innovation in port sectors is developing rapidly, but the tension between attempts to innovate and the ability to achieve the expected goals needs to be resolved (Chen et al, 2019; Koukaki and Tei, 2020). Engendering innovative work behavior among employees is one of the best ways

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Results

Conclusion