Person-culture Fit Research Articles

Ninety years after Lewin: The role of familism and attachment style in social networks characteristics across 21 nations/areas

Drawing on the literature on person-culture fit, we investigated how culture (assessed as national-level familism), personality (tapped by attachment styles) and their interactions predicted social network characteristics in 21 nations/areas ( N = 2977). Multilevel mixed modeling showed that familism predicted smaller network size but greater density, tie strength, and multiplexity. Attachment avoidance predicted smaller network size, and lower density, tie strength, and multiplexity. Attachment anxiety was related to lower density and tie strength. Familism enhanced avoidance’s association with network size and reduced its association with density, tie strength, and multiplexity. Familism also enhanced anxiety’s association with network size, tie strength, and multiplexity. These findings contribute to theory building on attachment and culture, highlight the significance of culture by personality interaction for the understanding of social networks, and call attention to the importance of sampling multiple countries.

Does the relationship between competitiveness and student achievement vary based on the culture of competitiveness? Evidence from PISA 2018

This study joins an intense research debate regarding whether competition is beneficial for student outcomes, focusing on the relationships between student-level and school-level competitiveness and student academic achievement. I also examine the impact of country-specific competitiveness context on the relationships between competitiveness and student achievement. This study's assumptions and hypotheses were guided by theoretical tenets of Swab & Johnson's multilevel model of competition and competitiveness and the person-culture fit model. Using Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 data and World Values Survey (WVS) data from 57 countries, I analyzed three-level hierarchical linear models (HLM) with cross-level interactions to test these hypotheses. The results showed that student competitiveness was positively related to student achievement in mathematics within schools. Between schools, a competitive climate was positively correlated to student mathematics achievement. Cross-level interactions revealed country context positively moderated the relationship between student competitiveness and achievement. These findings emphasize the importance of considering broader cultural competitiveness contexts when examining the association between student competitiveness and achievement.

Basic Psychological Needs, Good Societal Development and Satisfaction with Life: The Mediating Role of the Environment

Seminal work on laypeople’s perspectives on societal development is the foundation of our renovated interest in good development and its relationship with well-being. The present study aims to analyze the relationship between individual basic psychological needs satisfaction, people’s visions of good societal development in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals, and well-being in terms of Satisfaction with Life. To reach this aim, we administered an online survey to a general sample (N = 206, F = 69.4% M = 28.6%, mean age of 33.39 years, and sd = 12.33) with different measures: (a) 3 Basic Psychological Needs (i.e., Autonomy, Relatedness, and Competence) Satisfaction Scale; (b) an ad hoc built Attitude towards the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Scale; (c) Satisfaction with Life Scale. We conducted an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) on the scale about attitudes toward the SDGs, correlation analyses between the investigated variables, and a series of mediation analyses with the three basic psychological needs satisfaction as IVs, the factors emerging from the EFA as mediators (i.e., Environment, Equity, Health) and Satisfaction with Life as the DV. The results showed that only the Environment component of the SDGs Scale mediated the relation between Basic Psychological Needs and Satisfaction with Life. The implications of these findings are discussed in light of different theoretical frameworks, like the Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT), the Person-Culture fit theory, and the Affordances Theory.

Exploring the Transition of Newly Qualified Chartered Accountants From Practice to Industry

Career transitions are increasingly common and can be challenging. This study seeks to understand how chartered accountants (CAs) experience transitioning from accounting firm-based roles to industry-based ones and develop the required skills and competencies. The underlying theoretical perspectives are transition cycle theory and the fit theories of person–culture fit and person–job fit. A multi-stakeholder approach using qualitative interviews was adopted. The findings present: refinement to the theoretical stages of transition; a proposed combination of fit theories; the identification of a skills gap; and the nature of supports for CAs experiencing this transition. The study indicates that CAs need to have a better understanding of transitions; hiring managers (HMs) should rethink supports in place; and profession-related educators should better prepare accounting students for career transitioning.

Two-Sided Cultural Fit: The Differing Behavioral Consequences of Cultural Congruence Based on Values Versus Perceptions

How do people establish and maintain cultural fit with an organization? Prior research has offered two perspectives that have heretofore been conceptually disconnected. One focuses on personal values, whereas another emphasizes perceptions of the cultural code. We develop a theoretical account that integrates these approaches by linking them to distinct mechanisms and behavioral consequences of cultural fit. We propose that value congruence—the match between one’s values and those that prevail in an organization—relates to the mechanism of group attachment and shapes behavior when one periodically steps back from day-to-day interactions, assesses one’s identification with an organization, and determines whether to stay or voluntarily depart. In contrast, we argue that perceptual congruence—the degree to which one implicitly understands an organization’s prevailing values and norms—relates to the mechanism of interpersonal coordination and influences behavior when one engages in routine peer interactions. Accordingly, we theorize that these two forms of cultural fit relate to distinct behaviors, voluntary exit and linguistic conformity with peers, respectively. Drawing on email and survey data from a midsized technology firm, we find support for our theory and discuss the implications of our findings for research on person-culture fit, dual-process models of culture and cognition, and the pairing of surveys with digital trace data. Funding: This work was supported by the Berkeley Culture Center, the Cortese Distinguished Chair in Management, the Grether Chair of Business Administration and Public Policy.

Who should work in Antarctica? An exploration of the individual, social and cultural aspects of expeditioner recruitment

AbstractDrawing on qualitative interview data, this article explores past and current Australian Antarctic Program expeditioners' perceptions of the personal qualities of expeditioners alongside their views of Antarctic station culture and expeditioner recruitment procedures. The findings reveal study participants shared similar views about expeditioner personal qualities. However, the findings also suggest that the current demographic similarity of expeditioners (e.g. the overrepresentation of white men) is perhaps much more important for assessing organizational fit than the Program might be selecting for. Participants described the ways in which interpersonal interactions and the social environment can deeply affect an expeditioner's experience of the station culture. Women in this study pointed to the connection between the overrepresentation of men in the expeditioner population and a potential male bias in station culture. These results extend the existing literature on person-culture fit in Antarctica. To conclude, I provide recommendations for diversifying the expeditioner applicant pool in Antarctica that can also be applied to the selection of other workforces in isolated, confined and extreme work environments, including space missions.

Are Religious People Happy or Non-Religious People Unhappy in Religious Contexts?

In this study, we shed light on how the social aspect of religiosity affects well-being of religious and non-religious individuals utilizing a province-level representative dataset with more than 196,000 observations from Turkey. The large-scale data from an Islam-dominant country is one of the strengths of this article. First, in line with previous studies, we show that the average religiosity in the province where individuals live matters especially for the well-being of religious individuals. Second, the bulk of non-religious people do not care about others’ religiosity nor what others think of their own religiosity. Moreover, 94% of the non-religious do not feel under pressure. When put together, the analysis results suggest that what drives person–culture fit in religiosity in Turkey is not non-religious people’s marginalization. Rather, religious people seem to benefit from being in the company of fellow religious individuals as they attach an importance to others’ religiosity.

An Examination of Sport Management Doctoral Programs and the Organizational Environment Through Person–Environment Fit Theory

Scholarly literature focusing on organizational environments and organizational fit highlights the importance of a Multi-Fit perspective, which includes person–environment fit, person–culture fit, and person–vocation fit. However, relatively few scholars in sport management have focused on the organizational environment that includes sport management faculty and doctoral students. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine sport management doctoral programs to evaluate how sport management faculty and sport management doctoral students assessed the academic environment. Findings from 15 sport management faculty and 13 doctoral students resulted in three distinct overarching themes: (a) initial evaluations from person–environment fit, (b) fitting in with person–culture fit, and (c) the gap in person–culture fit. Moreover, subthemes emerging from faculty were (a) coachable, (b) well-roundedness, (c) experience, (d) research interests, and (e) statistical knowledge. Subthemes emerging from sport management doctoral students were (a) funding, (b) initial contact, (c) geography, (d) foundation, and (e) cohort mentality. The findings of this study have significant importance to the sport management academy as scholars have suggested approximately 50% of doctoral students fail to receive their degree, and cohort entrance and exit attrition may be as high as 85%. Therefore, the goal of this study was to increase the extant knowledge pertaining to person–environment fit and the sport management doctoral matriculation and enrollment process between sport management faculty and sport management doctoral students.

Revisiting Values and Self-Esteem: A Large-Scale Study in the United States

Person-culture fit perspectives posit that individuals have higher self-esteem when their values match the values of the sociocultural environment in which they live. The current study tested this hypothesis by examining the associations between value congruence and self-esteem in a large-scale sample in the United States ( N = 48,563). Multilevel response surface analyses revealed no evidence of value congruence effects on self-esteem, such that the agreement between individual- and state-level values did not positively predict self-esteem for any of the 10 basic values. Instead, we found positive (stimulation, security) and negative (conformity) linear associations between individual-level values and self-esteem. We also found positive curvilinear relationships between individual-level achievement and tradition values and self-esteem, and negative curvilinear relationships between individual-level self-direction, hedonism, power, benevolence, and universalism values and self-esteem. In addition, state-level values moderated the relationship between values and self-esteem for tradition, universalism, and conformity values. In federal states with stronger endorsement of tradition values, individuals’ tradition values were more positively associated with self-esteem. In contrast, in states with stronger endorsement of universalism values, individuals’ universalism values were more negatively associated with self-esteem. Lastly, individuals’ conformity values were negatively associated with self-esteem, particularly in states with weaker endorsement of conformity values.

Societal-level utility value strengthens the relationship between student-level utility value and achievement: A person-culture fit perspective.

Expectancy-value theory posits that higher levels of utility-value yield better achievement outcomes. Much of the existing research on utility value has focused on the individual as the unit of analysis. Person-culture fit theory, however, suggests that it is also important to consider the fit between the person and the broader society one is embedded in. The greater the fit, the more optimal outcomes ensue. However, to our knowledge past studies have not examined utility value from a person-culture fit perspective. This study aimed to examine whether person-culture fit in utility value, defined as the match between the student's and the society's utility value perceptions, is associated with more optimal outcomes. More specifically, we examined (1) how utility value predicted achievement and (2) whether societal-level utility value changed the magnitude of the relationship between student-level utility value and achievement. We used the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009 data provided by 502,261 15-year-old students from 73 countries/societies. Multilevel random-slopes structural equation modelling was used. Across all societies, students with higher utility value had better achievement. Moreover, in societies where schooling is highly valued, students' utility value was a stronger predictor of achievement in reading, math, and science confirming our person-culture fit hypothesis. These findings signify the importance of person-culture fit in utility value. It also has important implications for motivation research by demonstrating the need to take the broader societal context into account and moving beyond an exclusive focus on the individual student as the unit of analysis.

Person-culture fit boosts national pride: A cross-cultural study among 78 societies

Individuals whose personal values match the values of the culture to which they belong to (i.e., person-culture fit) have a better evaluation of themselves. However, whether individuals who experience person-culture fit endorse more positive evaluations of the culture they belong to (e.g., nationality) remains an open question. We tested whether person-culture fit in terms of values (i.e., value congruence) would be associated with national pride (N = 171,528). Response surface analyses showed that value congruence effects on national pride were contingent on the type of values examined. Value congruence in terms of achievement, security, conformity, tradition, benevolence, and universalism was associated with higher national pride. In contrast, value congruence in terms of self-direction, stimulation, hedonism, and power was associated with lower national pride.

Applicant Ethnicity Affects Which Questions Are Asked in a Job Interview

Abstract. Three experiments on professional recruiters explored how applicants’ ethnicity affects questions prepared for a job interview and the implications of this. Study 1 revealed that outgroup applicants prompt recruiters to focus more on whether applicants have integrated cultural norms and values fitting the ingroup norms (person-culture fit), as well as the match between the applicants and their would-be work team (person-group fit). When applicants were from the ethnic ingroup, recruiters focused more on questions pertaining to the match between the applicants’ abilities and the specific demands of the job (person-job fit). Studies 2 and 3 revealed that questions prepared for outgroup applicants were rated as less useful for hireability decisions, and that summaries emphasizing person-job fit were perceived as more useful.

New Frontiers in Organizational Culture Research: Creating Conceptual Precision to Leverage Big Data

Even though scholars have long been interested in the role organizational culture plays in shaping individual, team, and organizational life, some argue that theory and empirical progress have been...

Organizational Error Management Culture and Employee Creativity: A Person-Culture Fit Model

The effects of organizational culture in dealing with errors on employee's psychological state and creativity have been rarely studied. In the framework of a person-culture model, this paper explored how organizational error management culture works in concert with different individual regulatory foci to enhance employee creativity by increasing employee's psychological safety. Through a multilevel moderated mediation analysis based on the data including 293 frontline employees from 56 hospitality organizations, this empirical study came to conclusion that that promotion focus strengthens the indirect relationship between organizational error management culture and employee creativity via psychological safety. Theoretical contributions to error management literature and creativity literature were discussed, followed by practical implications.

An investigation of person-culture fit and person-task fit on ICT adoption in the Hong Kong construction industry

ABSTRACTInformation and communication technology (ICT) in construction facilitates integrated work processes, but low user acceptance of the technology can be a hindrance to its implementation. This paper examines individual’s ICT adoption from the person-environment (P-E) perspective with respect to person-culture fit and person-task fit. An exploratory study with a questionnaire was conducted primarily in the Hong Kong construction industry with 113 valid responses to examine if person-culture fit and person-task fit are contributory to an individual’s intention to adopt ICT, how person-task fit relates to organizational and personal variables, and which ICT type has the best person-task fit. It was found that person-task fit predicts an individual’s ICT adoption but person-culture fit does not. Person-task fit is related to the person’s age, employment level and the ICT adoption period (especially within the first five years) in the company. Person-task fit does not differ significantly amongst the different construction participant groups (contractors, consultants, and owners). The person-task fit of building information modeling ranks the lowest and is significantly lower than the procurement information packages with the highest person-task fit. It is suggested that the person-task-technology interaction models be taken into account in future research to refine the investigation of the role of the ‘person’ in ICT adoption.

The Role of Person-Culture Fit in Chinese Students' Cultural Adjustment in the United States: A Galileo Mental Model Approach

This article used a Galileo multidimensional scaling model to explain how intercultural communication affected sojourners' wellbeing in their host culture through the convergence of the mental models between sojourners and host nationals with whom the sojourners communicated. Participants were 126 sojourning Chinese in the United States and 30 associated domestic Americans. Data were collected shortly after the Chinese sojourners arrived in the United States and again 3 months later. A measure of person-culture fit was generated by comparing each Chinese sojourner's mental model with the aggregate mental model of the associated domestic Americans. Results showed that the amount of intercultural communication had a significant effect on person-culture fit, in turn affecting sojourners' adaptation outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.

Are conservatives happier than liberals? Not always and not everywhere

Prior research has shown that conservatives report higher levels of subjective well-being than liberals (happiness gap). We investigate to what extent this phenomenon exists in different time periods within the United States (Study 1, N=40,000) and in different countries (Study 2, N=230,000). Consistent with our hypotheses grounded in the “shared reality” and person-culture fit literature, conservatives were happier and more satisfied with their lives than liberals to the extent that the conservative political ideology prevailed in their socio-cultural context, be it a specific time period in the U.S. or a specific country. These results show that the happiness gap between conservatives and liberals is less universal than previously assumed.

Belief in scientific–technological progress and life satisfaction: The role of personal control

While numerous studies have examined the positive association between religious beliefs and subjective well-being, there is a notable absence of research addressing the potential role of secular beliefs as a source of happiness and life satisfaction. Drawing from literature on compensatory control, the present research fills this void by exploring the association between belief in scientific–technological progress and life satisfaction, investigating its underlying mechanism and examining cross-cultural moderators. The results showed that belief in scientific–technological progress is a stronger predictor of life satisfaction than religious beliefs in a nationally representative sample of the Dutch population (Study 1) and across 69 out of 72 countries (Study 2). Additional analyses highlighted the role of personal control beliefs as the mechanism driving this effect: a strong belief in scientific–technological progress was associated with an enhanced sense of personal control, which in turn contributed to higher life satisfaction. Consistent with previous research on “shared reality” and person–culture fit, the beneficial consequences of an individual's belief in scientific–technological progress were enhanced when this belief was widely held within a specific culture.

Religion, Self-Rated Health, and Mortality

Existing research, mostly based on the data from the United States, suggests that religiosity contributes to better health and longevity. This article explores the association between religiosity and self-rated health across 59 countries and shows that the positive association between religiosity and self-rated health is an exception found in a relatively small number of countries. Consistent with the person–culture fit literature, Study 1 shows that in countries in which religiosity represents a social norm (i.e., it is common and socially desirable), religious individuals report better subjective health than nonreligious individuals. Study 2 demonstrates that even within the United States, the association of religiosity with self-rated health as well as with reduced mortality largely depends on the regional level of religiosity, suggesting that the health and longevity benefits of religiosity are restricted to highly religious regions.

Antecedents and outcomes: theories of fit and the study of doctoral education

This paper explores fit as an important theoretical construct in the study of doctoral education and doctoral student development. We discuss how research based on three types of fit (person–environment fit, person–culture fit, person–vocation fit) may provide critical insights into the doctoral student experience, and offer a framework based on antecedents and outcomes to support future research. We conclude with an application of this framework to two understudied populations of doctoral students and future research directions.