Fit Theory Research Articles

How overqualified teams motivate members to explore the external environment – the mediating role of change self-efficacy

PurposeMuch of the research on overqualification has focused on the negative effects at the individual level. However, in the face of the increasing tendency to recruit overqualified employees, managing the perception of team overqualification can be effective in motivating team members in the current complex and changing business environment.Design/methodology/approachBased on the person–environment fit theory, this study examines how team overqualification affects employees' change self-efficacy and how it further motivates employees to engage in strategic scanning behavior toward proactive external information gathering and analysis. The data collection for this study was divided into two stages, spaced three months apart. The analysis of questionnaire data from 290 employees and 72 supervisors confirmed the theoretical hypothesis of this study.FindingsWhen employees perceive a higher level of team overqualification, they will generate more strategic scanning behavior. And the change self-efficacy plays a mediating role between team overqualification and strategic scanning behavior and thus team members actively seek information from the external environment to develop future plans and work strategies. Meanwhile, transformational leadership positively moderates this process.Originality/valueFirstly, this study extends the positive manifestations of overqualification at the team level. Secondly, this study verifies that change self-efficacy mediates the relationship between team overqualification and strategic scanning, enriching the research on the antecedent and outcome variables of change self-efficacy. Finally, this study verified that the interaction effect of transformational leadership and team overqualification had an impact on employee strategic scanning behavior through change self-efficacy.

Energy leakage in OFDM sparse channel estimation: The drawback of OMP and the application of image deblurring

In this paper, in order to reduce the energy leakage caused by the discretized representation in sparse channel estimation for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) systems, we systematically have analyzed the optimal locations of atoms with discrete delays for each path reconstruction from the perspective of linear fitting theory. Then, we have investigated the adverse effects of the non-ideal inner product function on the iteration in one of the most widely used channel estimation method, Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP). The study shows that the distance between the selected atoms for each path in OMP can be larger than the sampling interval, which prevents OMP-based methods from achieving better performance. To overcome this drawback, the image deblurring-based channel estimation method, in which the channel estimation problem is analogized to one-dimensional image deblurring, was proposed to improve the large compensation distance of traditional OMP. The advantage of the proposed method was validated by the results of numerical simulation and sea trial data decoding.

Using the P-O Fit Theory to Examine Work Attitudes of Employees in Shanghai, China

This study investigates factors which transform work attitudes among Chinese employees. Using purposive sampling, a survey questionnaire was distributed to employees in Shanghai, where 479 were usable. Firstly, the study examines the relationship between demographic factors and employees' work attitudes. Secondly, the Person-Organisation Fit theory is used to examine the relationship between generational differences, personality traits, organisational culture and work attitudes. PLS-SEM results show that all three factors are positively related to work attitudes. This study is unique as it uses the P-O fit theory to understand work attitudes, which is essential for employees' well-being and quality of life.

Facebook Messenger: As Means of Communication for Academic Inquiries

Most of social media users use Facebook Messenger as a messaging platform because of its free messaging and video chatting service. Thus, it is not a surprise that Facebook Messenger is utilized as a communication tool for academic purposes. This descriptive qualitative research anchored on the epistemology constructionism, methodology and naturalistic inquiry aimed to determine how do students use Facebook-Messenger as means of communication for academic inquiries. The aforesaid study was conducted among the twelve (12) BSED Social Studies learners who were identified through purposeful sampling. The researchers utilized a semi-structured written interview which contains one question anchored in the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) Theory. On the other hand, the data and information were collected through essay form and analyzed through Conventional Qualitative Content Analysis. In using Facebook Messenger as a means of communication for academic inquiries, the informants from BSED Social Studies expressed that the platform is avenue for academic skills, task-needs, and their preferred technology. First, informants expressed that Facebook Messenger is an avenue for academic skills because it (1) facilitates collaboration, its (2) easy navigation of features, and (3) fosters teacher-learner communication. Also, Facebook Messenger fills for their task-need as it helps them conduct (1) group discussion, (2) convenient submission, have (3) clear instruction, and (4) task clarity. Lastly, informants show evidence that the platform is their preferred technology because it is an (1) alternative platform, (2) file-sharing platform, (3) provide storage for preference, (4) up-to-date reminder, and a (5) convenient tool for communication. This study reveals that Facebook Messenger is used as a tool to open an avenue for academic skills, is an essential platform for delivering task needs, and was a preferred technology as a means of communication for academic inquiries.

Do Inclusive Workplace Policies Foster Employer Attractiveness? Comparative Evidence From an Online Employer Review Platform

Public sector employers increasingly promote inclusive workplaces, but the impact of such policies on employees’ perceptions of employer attractiveness has rarely been studied. A deeper understanding of how inclusive workplaces relate to employer attractiveness, and how this relationship differs between employment sectors, may inform recruitment policies and retention management. This study tackles this issue and provides a large-scale analysis of an online employer review platform, covering more than 16,000 Germany-based organizations as rated and recommended (or not) by more than 715,000 current and former employees. More specifically, it builds on person–organization fit theory and analyzes how employee referrals are associated with ratings in three dimensions of inclusive workplaces (i.e., inclusion of women, elderly, and disabled). The results show that inclusive workplaces are positively and significantly related to employer attractiveness, both on aggregate and across the three dimensions. The overall relationship is stronger in the case of public employers when compared with private employers, while there are no sector differences in the relationship when comparing public and nonprofit employers. The findings suggest that inclusive workplaces are advantageous in terms of employer attractiveness, not just for the beneficiaries of such policies, but even more so in the public sector.

Examining technostress and its impact on worker well-being in the digital gig economy

PurposeOnline labour markets (OLMs) have recently become a widespread phenomenon of digital work. While the implications of OLMs on worker well-being are hotly debated, little empirical research examines the impact of such work on individuals. The highly competitive and fast-paced nature of OLMs compels workers to multitask and to perform intense technology-enabled work, which can potentially enhance technostress. This paper examines the antecedents and well-being consequences of technostress arising from work in OLMs.Design/methodology/approachThe authors draw from person–environment fit theory and job characteristics theory and test a research model of the antecedents and consequences of worker technostress in OLMs. Data were gathered from 366 workers in a popular OLM through a large-scale online survey. Structural equation modelling was used to evaluate the research model.FindingsThe findings extend existing research by validating the relationships between specific OLM characteristics and strain. Contrary to previous literature, the results indicate a link between technology complexity and work overload in OLMs. Furthermore, in OLMs, feedback is positively associated with work overload and job insecurity, while strain directly influences workers' negative affective well-being and discontinuous intention.Originality/valueThis study contributes to technostress literature by developing and testing a research model relevant to a new form of work conducted through OLMs. The authors expand the current research on technostress by integrating job characteristics as new antecedents to technostress and demonstrating its impact on different types of subjective well-being and discontinuous intention. In addition, while examining the impact of technostressors on outcomes, the authors consider their impact at the individual level (disaggregated approach) to capture the subtlety involved in understanding technostressors' unique relationships with outcomes.

Employees' in-role and extra-role information security behaviors from the P-E fit perspective

Organizations are increasingly seeking ways to encourage employee in-role and extra-role information security (InfoSec) behaviors for enhancing organizational InfoSec. One important consideration is the InfoSec congruence between the person and the organizational environment. Accordingly, drawing on person–environment (P–E) fit theory, we conducted an empirical investigation that examined (1) the effect of key components in organizational InfoSec management practice on InfoSec value P–E fit, and (2) the role of InfoSec value P–E fit on employees’ InfoSec in-role and extra-role behaviors in the organization. The results suggest that three practices—InfoSec policies; security education, training, and awareness programs; and computer monitoring—cultivate InfoSec value P–E fit, leading to an increase in employees’ InfoSec in-role and extra-role behaviors.

Empowering and directive leadership and taking charge: a moderating role of employee intrinsic motivation

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the associations among different leadership styles and employees' taking charge. Applying Person–Environment (P-E) fit theory, the current study further explores employees' intrinsic motivation as an important individual factor that possibly moderates the hypothesized relationships.Design/methodology/approachIn this field study, 212 supervisor–employee matched multi-source data were collected from multiple organizations located in South Korea. Data were analyzed with multiple hierarchical regression.FindingsEmpowering leadership is positively related to employees' taking charge, whereas directive leadership is negatively associated with it. Results of the current study further support that intrinsically motivated employees exhibit more taking charge when their leader shows empowering leadership but reduce their taking charge when their leader demonstrates directive leadership.Research limitations/implicationsThe current empirical results could not infer causality due to a cross-sectional research design.Practical implicationsOrganizations should develop and embrace empowering leadership if the employees' self-started and change-oriented behavior, taking charge, is particularly critical to fostering organizational effectiveness.Originality/valueThis study extends the literature on leadership and employee proactivity by examining different leadership styles as predictors of employees' taking charge. Based on the current study results, empowering leadership could work as a facilitator and directive leadership as a barrier to employees' taking charge.

In-situ confined growth of defective MIL-100(Fe) in macroporous polyacrylate spherical substrate at room temperature for high-efficient toluene removal

The hazard caused by toluene has attracted worldwide attention, and it is of practical significance to study the efficient adsorption of toluene for environmental governance. In this work, a hierarchical metal–organic framework (MOF), MIL-100(Fe), was crystallized on the surface of a macroporous polyacrylate (PAA) spherical substrate at room temperature through an in-situ confinement growth strategy to form MIL-100(Fe)@PAA composite. By decreasing the nucleation energy barrier, the average size of MIL-100(Fe) crystals was reduced from 400 nm to 55 nm and defects as adsorption sites for toluene were able to install in the crystal lattices. Therefore, the composite provided excellent static and dynamic adsorption properties for toluene, much better than the pristine MIL-100(Fe). The potential mechanism for crystal defects to significantly improve the adsorption performance was subsequently explored through kinetic fitting and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. All results indicated that the innovative MIL-100(Fe)@PAA prepared using defect engineering and effective molding technology was potent in both toluene removal and regeneration, which was expected to provide a new avenue for the facile synthesis of molded MOF composites.

Who should be first? How and when AI-human order influences procedural justice in a multistage decision-making process.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has fundamentally changed the way people live and has largely reshaped organizational decision-making processes. Particularly, AI decision making has become involved in almost every aspect of human resource management, including recruiting, selecting, motivating, and retaining employees. However, existing research only considers single-stage decision-making processes and overlooks more common multistage decision-making processes. Drawing upon person-environment fit theory and the algorithm reductionism perceptive, we explore how and when the order of decision makers (i.e., AI-human order vs. human-AI order) affects procedural justice in a multistage decision-making process involving AI and humans. We propose and found that individuals perceived a decision-making process arranged in human-AI order as having less AI ability-power fit (i.e., the fit between the abilities of AI and the power it is granted) than when the process was arranged in AI-human order, which led to less procedural justice. Furthermore, perceived AI ability buffered the indirect effect of the order of decision makers (i.e., AI-human order vs. human-AI order) on procedural justice via AI ability-power fit. Together, our findings suggest that the position of AI in collaborations with humans has profound impacts on individuals' justice perceptions regarding their decision making.

A fifth wheel? Local language skills and work-related outcomes among foreign employees

Drawing on person-job fit theory, we theorize and empirically analyze the effects of host country language skills on two work-related outcomes: workplace social support and perceived overqualification. We further examine how these outcomes are related with job satisfaction. Empirically, we analyze these relationships using data from three sub-studies of foreign academics in the Nordic region. The first is a survey filled in by 496 foreign academics working at 18 universities in Finland, Sweden, and Norway. The second is an interview study of 41 foreign academics employed by a large international university in Finland. The third consists of nine interviews across Finland, Sweden, and Norway where we followed up on the analysis of the data from the first two sub-studies. Whilst we use the quantitative dataset to test our hypotheses, our qualitative data allows us to dig deeper into how making investments in local language skills does not necessary lead to positive work-related outcomes as perceived by foreign academics, and what HR implications these perceptions have for international organizations, such as universities. Overall, our findings provide important insights into the complex and contextual nature of host country language skills’ role and effects in international organizations.

Cryptic kin discrimination during communal lactation in mice favours cooperation between relatives

Breeding females can cooperate by rearing their offspring communally, sharing synergistic benefits of offspring care but risking exploitation by partners. In lactating mammals, communal rearing occurs mostly among close relatives. Inclusive fitness theory predicts enhanced cooperation between related partners and greater willingness to compensate for any partner under-investment, while females are less likely to bias investment towards own offspring. We use a dual isotopic tracer approach to track individual milk allocation when familiar pairs of sisters or unrelated house mice reared offspring communally. Closely related pairs show lower energy demand and pups experience better access to non-maternal milk. Lactational investment is more skewed between sister partners but females pay greater energetic costs per own offspring reared with an unrelated partner. The choice of close kin as cooperative partners is strongly favoured by these direct as well as indirect benefits, providing a driver to maintain female kin groups for communal breeding.

The Relationship Between Sensor Technology and Performance of Shipping Lines in Kenya: The Moderating Effect of International Maritime Regulations

Over time, firms have adopted various measures to enable them to improve their performance; one such measure is the adoption of technology. Shipping lines’ performance, just like any other organisation’s performance, is highly pegged on proper implementation and use of the right technology. The need for technology adoption arises from the fact that Kenya’s shipping sector has been characterised by low logistics efficiency due to high transportation costs, delayed delivery, clearance at the port, the influx of substandard goods into the country as well as poor tracking and tracing. If well utilised, the sensor technology can help solve these problems. The objective of this study, therefore, was to assess the relationship between sensor technology and the performance of shipping lines in Kenya and the moderating effect of international maritime regulations. The main theory of the study was the technology acceptance model supported by the task technology fit theory, institutional theory and theory of the firm. The positivist research philosophy and explanatory survey research design were utilised in this study. The target population was all the 2835 respondents who are logistics, IT, sales and marketing and finance staff of the 53 shipping lines listed in Kenya business directory 2021. The study sample size was 438 respondents who were staff from four departments and was determined by the use of the Yamane formula. A random stratified sampling design was utilised to arrive at specific respondents. Quantitative data were collected using structured questionnaires administered to the respondents. A pilot study was conducted in Mombasa from six shipping lines using 10% of the sample size; 50 questionnaires, but only 44 were filled and returned. The questionnaire was tested for both validity and reliability. Reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha index at 0.7, while the use of factor analysis ascertained validity. Quantitative data was appropriately coded and entered into SPSS version 20 for analysis to generate descriptive statistics (minimum, maximum, mean, standard deviation kurtosis and Skewness) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient, multiple linear regression and hierarchical regression model), which was then be presented in frequency tables and graphs. Results showed that there was a significant and positive relationship between sensor technology and the performance of shipping lines in Kenya. Also, international maritime regulations had a statistically significant moderating effect on the relationship between sensor technology and the performance of shipping lines in Kenya. It was concluded that shipping lines in Kenya utilised localisation technology to help in locating cargo during transportation, forecasting lead time accurately, mapping the route, eliminating delay, checking route deviation and tracking vessels. The study recommends that in order to enhance the shipping line's performance through efficient operations, the managers of these companies need to adopt and make use of the sensor technology.

Managing the harmful effects of perceived overqualification amongst students in China: the roles of student leader and extracurricular activities

ABSTRACT College students are currently facing various crises due to psychological issues, driving universities to prioritise their mental health. Perceived overqualification negatively affects students’ well-being. Drawing on the person-organisation fit theory, we propose that perceived overqualification reduces students’ organisational identification, study engagement, and personal accomplishment. Furthermore, serving as a student leader and the frequency of extracurricular activities (ECA) participation play moderating roles. We conducted a two-wave survey with 423 freshmen at a university in China. Results showed that perceived overqualification negatively affected all three outcomes. In addition, serving as a student leader mitigated the negative effects of perceived overqualification on organisational identification and personal accomplishment, whereas the moderating effect of the frequency of ECA participation was not significant. Nonetheless, a supplementary analysis found that when students participated in ECA related to social practice, their perceived overqualification enhanced their personal accomplishment. Finally, our theoretical contributions to the existing literature are discussed, and suggestions are proposed for universities to impede the harmful effects of students’ perceived overqualification.

The effects of Experience-Technology Fit (ETF) on consumption behavior: Extended Reality (XR) visitor experience

PurposeTraditionally, Task–Technology Fit (TTF) theory has been applied to examine the usefulness of technology in the work environment. Can the same approach (based on experience rather than tasks) be applied to non-work, cultural heritage environments? This is the question the authors ask in this study. This study proposes a new variation of TTF based on the experience economy model, namely Experience–Technology Fit (ETF), for the non-work environment, in particular, in the context of cultural heritage, where visitor experience is enhanced by extended reality technology, which combines immersive technologies and artificial intelligence.Design/methodology/approachEmploying a quantitative survey method, the empirical analysis seeks to determine the influence of Mixed Reality (MR) characteristics (interactivity, vividness), Voice User Interface (VUI) characteristics (speech recognition, speech synthesis) and experience economy factors (education, entertainment, esthetic, escape) on satisfaction, revisit intention and actual purchase to propose a new ETF model.FindingsVUI, MR, and experience factors were significantly associated with ETF; when combined with MR-based experience, ETF was significantly associated with satisfaction. This study’s findings further demonstrate the relationship between users' satisfaction when engaging with MR-based experience and revisit intention, while purchase intention was significantly associated with the actual purchase.Originality/valueThe novel contribution of this study is the proposal of the EFT model, a new variation of TTF based on the experience economy model. Overall, this study expands the applications of TTF to an experience-oriented business, thereby broadening the authors’ understanding of technological success with a specific focus on the technology fit of Extended Reality (XR) in the context of cultural heritage.

Examining the Effect of the Task-Technology Fit of Game Mechanisms on Learning Outcomes in Online Gamification Platforms

The designs of gamification platforms are diverse and constantly evolving. Excessive use of various game mechanisms in learning platforms can distract from the learning process. However, the fit of game mechanisms is still uncertain. Thus, this study investigates the effect of achieving fit when implementing game mechanisms on learning outcomes by applying the well-known task-technology fit theory (TTF). TTF is frequently employed to improve fit between tasks to be completed and the technology applied. The findings indicate that achieving gamification fit can reduce the cognitive load of students and result in enhanced learning performance in terms of learning outcomes. Data collected from 266 participants were analyzed using the technique of the partial least squares to validate the developed research model. The findings of this study can aid educators and educational technology designers in identifying the design mechanisms and characteristics that can be used to ensure design fit on gamification platforms.

Exploring Technostress in Video Medical Consultation: A Study of Private Doctors in South European Countries

This study investigates the factors contributing to technostress in the context of video medical consultations among private doctors offering this service in south European countries. The study focuses on technical support, information availability, social support, social presence, work overload, and role ambiguity in video consultations. The conceptual framework is based on the person-environmental fit theory and theory of planned behavior. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), data from a cross-sectional field survey of 330 private doctors in southern Europe were analyzed. The results indicate that technical support has a positive impact on reducing workload and role ambiguity in video consultations. This study adds to the existing literature on technostress among private doctors in South Europe and contributes unique insights by integrating two prominent theories. The findings have important implications for administration, practitioners, and policymakers in terms of policy development and implementation. Future research should aim to include a diverse sample of doctors to enhance participation and explore the influence of various factors such as backgrounds, fellowship areas, genders, beliefs, and experience levels. The study concludes with policy recommendations, suggestions for further research, and implications for theory and practice.

The Role of Technostress on Educators' Work Performance at Universities in the Special Capital Region of Jakarta

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the education system to adapt a new teaching system from offline to online. However, the ability of lecturers is often unable to keep up with rapid technological developments and the lack of resources provided by institutions, causes lecturers to feel stressed during the teaching and learning process. This study aims to determine the effect of technostress on lecturer performance using the Person-Organization Fit theory approach. The results showed that at the organizational level, the discrepancy between abilities and demands (AD-O) (B= -.39; p.01) had a significant negative and positive effect on lecturer needs with supplies (NS-O) (B=. 24;p.05) with performance. At the individual level, the mismatch between needs and supply (NS-T) (B=-.51; p.01), the absence of social support from colleagues (PPF) (B=-.32; p.01) had an effect significant negative. The findings of this study indicate that both the organizational level and peer support (AD-O and PPF) as well as the individual level (NS-T) play an important role in predicting a decrease in lecturer performance, while the mismatch between ability demands at the individual level has no effect on performance. The implications of this research will be discussed further in the discussion.

Hotels’ green leadership and employee pro-environmental behaviour, the role of value congruence and moral consciousness: evidence from symmetrical and asymmetrical approaches

The study uses person-organisation fit and norm activation theory to develop conceptual models to clarify the green leadership (GL) non-homogenous effect on employee pro-environmental behavior (PEB) in the hospitality industry. Two psychosocial antecedents, value congruence (VC) and moral consciousness (MC) were the mediators in elucidating the unexplained variations between GL and employees’ PEB outcomes. The models were tested using partial least square-structural equation modeling to explain the unidimensional effect and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to clarify the diverse causal configurations sufficient to predict hotel workers’ PEB. The study collected data from managers and employees in the Ghanaian hotel industry. The study findings strengthen the interactive role MC plays in employee behavioral outcomes and confirm its importance in stimulating PEB among employees in the hospitality sector. Results from the fsQCA affirm that solely using unifinality approaches for GL and PEB studies may be inadequate to provide a complete understanding of a proposed model. With the unifinality analysis, MC constituted the only variable mediating the GL and PEB relationship. Under the fsQCA, VC and MC became sufficient conditions underpinning GL’s impact on employees’ PEB. The study concludes with a discussion of theoretical and practical implications.

Symmetry‐Based Model Hamiltonians for Topological Analysis of 2D Materials with Square Lattice

Classes of symmetry‐based model Hamiltonians can be constructed with specific point group restrictions. These models combine the flexibility of tight‐binding models with the analytical simplicity of the Su–Schrieffer–Heeger model and can be scaled in either direction. The applicability of models with two, three, and four bands to topological analysis is investigated and limitations to describing topological behaviour are assessed. The models are applied to fitting density functional theory (DFT) band structures for selected 2D materials with and without spin–orbit coupling. Suitable parameters for selected materials are obtained and used to describe the topological phase of the materials. Based on these results, a single two‐, three‐, and four‐band model is found which describes the band structure and topological properties of all the selected 2D materials. Suitable simplifications to the models are outlined to further illustrate how the analyzability can be scaled with the accuracy of the model. While generally a higher degree of symmetry helps the formation of topological phases, extremely symmetric point groups like restrict the allowed interactions to a degree that makes topological phases less easy to achieve.