Value Congruence Research Articles

Study from Korea shows strong CSR policies significantly increase job seekers' application intentions

PurposeThis study investigated how and when corporate social responsibility (CSR) fosters job seekers’ application intentions. The authors used a “mediated moderation mode” to explore the positive effect of CSR on job seekers’ intention to apply. They considered the moderating role of applicants’ calling and the mediating role of value congruence in the relationship between the person and organization.Design/methodology/approachTo test their hypotheses the authors developed a questionnaire and sent it to a sample of 259 college students with a mean age of 22.67 in South Korea. All were either prospective or current job seekers and 55.2pc were female. Two scenarios were developed based on the real-life case of a well-known coffee franchise’s CSR policies. The scenarios were identical except that one had more proactive CSR policies.FindingsResults showed that a company’s proactive CSR programs increase job seekers’ intention to apply, which was moderated by their “calling” for the job. The research also demonstrated that “value congruence” between the applicant and the organization fully mediated the interaction between CSR and calling. The results, the authors said, suggested that engaging in active CSR could attract job applicants, providing a potential competitive advantage.Originality/valueThe authors said their study contributed to the literature as it took the job seeker’s perspective whereas most previous research on calling focused on employees. They said it was the first study to empirically demonstrate the interaction between a sense of calling and CSR.

Support or evaluate? The multifaceted role of supervisors during the newcomer socialization process

This study develops theory related to how the socialization process occurs from the supervisor's perspective. Using interview data from 102 supervisors, we find that most supervisors simultaneously evaluate (using monitor behaviors) and promote (using inform and support behaviors) newcomers' fits. Supervisors do so by switching their focus three times: first, from general employability to person–group fit; second, from person–group fit to person–job fit; and third, from person–job fit to person–organization fit. We observed variations in the order in which supervisors evaluated and promoted newcomers' types of fits. However, we found that supervisors evaluated and promoted newcomers' fits consistently following the same order in terms of fit paradigms: first adopting a demands–abilities fit paradigm, then a needs–supplies fit paradigm, and finally a value congruence fit paradigm. We contribute to the socialization and fit literatures.

Comparing Demanded Work Values, and the Relationship between Work Values Congruence and Organizational Commitment between the Gen-X and Gen-Y Employees in Klang Valley, Malaysia

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between work values congruence and organizational commitment as well as to determine the comparison between demanded work values between generation X (Gen-X) and generation Y (Gen-Y) cohort generation staff in the field of Accounting and Finance in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. This is because information regarding workplace diversity is very important to create a better workplace environment in stimulating organizational effectiveness specially to cater on different age among employees. Therefore, this research used a quantitative, survey and purposive sampling involving established instruments; these include Work Value Inventory (WVI), Work Value Congruence Scale (VCS), and the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ). The results of Pearson correlation analysis among 169 respondents showed that there was a significant relationship between the work value congruence and organizational commitment (r = 0.617, k 0.01). In addition, a t-test analysis indicated only six dimensions of demanded work values were significantly different between Gen-Y and Gen-X including management, prestige, nature of supervisor, lifestyle, economic returns, and variety of task. From these, Gen-X had higher mean score in management, prestige, nature of supervisor and lifestyle; meanwhile, Gen Y had higher mean score in economic returns and variety of tasks. This research implies that there is a significant difference between Gen-X and Gen-Y in terms of demanded job values; in which, the congruence work values was significantly correlated with organizational commitment. Therefore, employers need to be more careful and vigilant in managing the job behaviour of Gen-X and Gen-Y employees to ensure that both generations can work as a team and sustain a high level of work performance.

The role of nature of knowledge and knowledge creating processes in knowledge hiding: Reframing knowledge hiding

Knowledge hiding research has traditionally focused on the ways in which knowledge is hidden in the context of interactions between employees. This study advances knowledge hiding research by highlighting the benefits of moving away from the dyadic level of analysis to a multilevel analysis across individuals, groups, and organizations. We also elaborate how knowledge hiding is influenced both by the nature of knowledge and by the modes of knowledge creation in organizations. We propose a theoretical framework that juxtaposes the nature of knowledge – tacit vs. explicit and component vs. architectural – against the four modes – socialization, externalization, combination, and internalization – of the knowledge creating process in organizations. The framework developed in our study also enables us to identify four distinct root causes of knowledge hiding in organizations – functional bias, misaligned incentives, dysfunctional resource allocations, and value incongruence.

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.

Factors determining individuals’ participation in volunteer work: A study of the Cape Coast Metropolis in the Central Region of Ghana

Person-organisation fit is the compatibility between individuals' and the organisations' attributes. Researchers have used a variety of dimensions to measure this compatibility. In measuring the similarity between the individual and organization, this study has focused on goal and value congruence. The current study aimed to investigate the person-organization fit factors that influence individuals' participation in volunteer activities. A 16-item scale that consisted of two 8-item subscales was constructed to measure the individual and organization congruence. About 404 respondents completed the questionnaire in the Cape Coast Metropolis in Ghana. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, cross tabulation and principal component analysis. The study revealed that diverse group of people were involved in NGO volunteer activities. The factor analysis show a two-component solution that explained a total of 61.83 ​% of the variance, with component 1 (person factor) contributing 54.57 ​% and component 2 (organization factor) contributing 7.26 ​%. The high communality values of the individual items for the person and organization factors, ranging from .413 to .766, are indicative of the similarity of the goals and values. The strong positive correlation between the two subscales (r = .63) shows that fit exists between the individuals and organizations' factors might have a positive influence on the study respondents’ participation in volunteer activities. It is imperative that NGOs, especially those in the Cape Coast Metropolis pay particular attention to specific person-organization fit factors to attract, recruit and retain potential volunteers in the future.

The Choice of a Leader: CEO Sociopolitical Activism as a Signal of Authentic leadership

Moral approaches to leadership have flourished mirroring employees’ increasing demand for meaningful work. Yet, extant theory provides little guidance on how employers could signal such leadership to job seekers. To fill this void, this paper focuses on CEO authentic leadership and investigates the signaling efficacy of salient value expressions by the most externally visible leader of a company. Drawing from signaling theory and the literature on follower attributions of authentic leadership, the authors propose CEO sociopolitical activism as an effective signal for CEO’s authentic leadership. Two experiments, including a parallel design for causal mediation inferences, support that authentic leadership attributions to the CEO mediate the positive impact of CEOs’ activism on employer attractiveness perceptions by job seekers. Value congruence of the CEO and job seeker is further identified as a contingency to this mediation, thus illuminating its role both for CEO activism and authentic leadership perceptions. This paper contributes to signaling theory and leadership research as well as to practitioners seeking to benefit a social cause without jeopardizing their bottom line.

The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction and the Congruence of Desired and Perceived Job Attributes: An Exploratory Study of IT Professionals

Abstract The main purpose of this study was to investigate whether employee job satisfaction is associated with the congruence between desired and perceived job attributes. The desired and perceived levels of 30 job attributes were measured on employees from a large Information Technology (IT) company based in Romania. Results indicate that employees who experience congruence between desired and perceived job attributes have higher levels of overall job satisfaction, confirming the assumptions of the value congruence theory. In addition, the results of this study show that employee job satisfaction is associated with both intrinsic and extrinsic factors i.e., job attributes. This indicates that extrinsic factors can also be a source of job satisfaction, the same as intrinsic factors, which is contrary to what Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory assumes.

Emotions Toward Sustainable Innovations: A Matter of Value Congruence.

Public resistance to sustainable innovations is oftentimes accompanied by strong negative emotions. Therefore, it is essential to better understand the underlying factors of emotions toward sustainable innovations to facilitate their successful implementation. Based on the Value-Innovation-Congruence model of Emotional responses (VICE model), we argue that positive and negative emotions toward innovations reflect whether innovations are congruent or incongruent with (i.e., support or threaten) people's core values. We tested our reasoning in two experimental studies (N = 114 and N = 246), by asking participants to evaluate innovations whose characteristics were either congruent or incongruent with egoistic values (study 1) or with biospheric values (study 1 and study 2). In line with the VICE model, we found overall that the more an innovation was perceived to have characteristics congruent with these values, and biospheric values in particular, the stronger positive and the weaker negative emotions they experienced toward the innovation, especially the more strongly people endorsed these values. Emotions, in turn, were related with acceptability of innovations. Our findings highlight that emotions toward innovations can have a systematic basis in people's values that can be addressed to ensure responsible decision-making on sustainable innovations.

When workplace family-support is misallocated: effects of value congruence and fairness perceptions on supervisor family-support

Abstract To better manage our work demands and family demands, we often erect mental or physical ‘boundaries’ to help manage our experiences. However, preferences for preserving these boundaries differ across individuals (e.g., some individuals may prefer to segment work/family roles, while others may prefer to integrate these roles) and employees may not always have similar preferences/values as their supervisors. Applying a resource framework from the job demands-resources model (JD-R; Bakker & Demerouti, 2007), we explicate the process through which supervisor–employee value congruence reduces work–family conflict, when supervisors provide valuable emotional and instrumental resources through family-supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB). Furthermore, we find evidence that supervisors can demonstrate adequate FSSB even when having incongruent values with employees by fairly allocating and individually tailoring family-support. With a diverse sample of 815 staff members from four southern US universities, we conduct mediation and moderation analyses to test our hypotheses.

Enhancing the organisational commitment of public sector accounting staff through the pursuit of CSR objectives

PurposeThis study aims to examine the interrelationship between the employee public service motivations (PSM), organisational corporate social responsibility (CSR) objectives and employee organisational commitment amongst accounts department staff in public service organisations.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data is taken from tax accountants and accounts administration staff (n = 285) across seven South Korean state-owned enterprises involved in the provision of various public services (utilities, infrastructure, energy and housing). Structural equation modeling techniques are used to conduct mediation and moderated-mediation analysis.FindingsResults show that both employee PSM and organisational CSR are significant in determining organisational commitment, especially where they result in value congruence. The authors also find that perceived levels of internal and external CSR are significant in moderating the impact of different dimensions of PSM.Practical implicationsAs accounting in public service organisations faces growing professional and commercial demands to address stakeholder needs, the need for organisations to retain accounts staff with the necessary motivations is vital. The findings highlight the importance of value congruence in achieving long-term employee organisational commitment and the need for the CSR objectives of organisations to take account of both external and internal stakeholders.Originality/valueLittle research has examined the relationship between PSM and organisational commitment amongst accounting staff in the quasi-public/private state-owned enterprise sector. This despite the level of organisational (e.g. introduction of new public management approach) and professional change (e.g. regulatory changes) experienced over the past two decades and the importance of the sector in public service provision.

Internal brand management in the public sector: the effects of internal communication, organizational practices, and PSM on employees’ brand perceptions

ABSTRACT Challenged by demanding contextual conditions, public sector organizations struggle to succeed in internal branding. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of value congruence in internal communication and positive organizational practices on employees’ brand perceptions. The study examines the impact of PSM on these variables. The results of a survey demonstrate the importance of value congruence and positive organizational practices for facilitating employees’ brand identification, brand pride, and brand commitment. The findings show that PSM directly impacts employees’ opinions about value congruence and positive organizational practices, and indirectly influences their affective responses to the organizational brand.

Just like me: Effects of value congruence on work-family enrichment

Work-family enrichment (WFE), also known as positive spillover between work and family, often improves employees’ well-being, physical health, and performance. Our study explores a process through which employees experience higher WFE when maintaining congruent values with the organization and supervisor based on segmentation-integration boundary management strategies. Using a sample of 287 employees from diverse industries and employment settings across the U.S., the results indicated that value congruence between subordinates and their organization/supervisor both positively predicted work-to-family enrichment. Family-supportive supervisor behaviors significantly mediated the relationship. Supervisor/subordinate gender matching did not significantly moderate the value congruence-FSSB relationship. In studying these effects with PROCESS mediation analysis, we merge and extend three major bodies of literature on spillover theory, person-environment fit theory, and boundary theory to explicate the process through which WFE develops when having congruent segmentation styles at work.

Effects of internal brand knowledge dissemination on the employee

PurposeThis study aims to examine the internal brand knowledge dissemination process in the banking sector and its effects on employees. Specifically, it focuses on the key roles of employee identification with both the organization and with the customer as antecedents of behaviors supportive of the brand, i.e. employee citizenship behaviors and recommendation behaviors.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical study was carried out in a major Spanish bank. Data gathered from a survey of 315 employees were analyzed through structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results showed that employees' perceptions of brand value congruence are key in explaining their identification with both the organization and with the customer. However, the employees' perceptions of the brand's authenticity explained only their recommendations of the bank as a good place to work.Originality/valueThese findings contribute to the advance in the current knowledge of the role of variables such as brand authenticity and employee–customer identification in internal brand management. From a managerial viewpoint, the results provide insights into the importance of employees' perceptions and attitudes when it comes to brand knowledge dissemination.

A Cultural Value Congruence Approach to Organizational Embeddedness

Abstract. Drawing on the person–organization fit theory, we investigate how the value congruence between employees’ collectivist values and their perception of organizational collectivism influences organizational embeddedness. Based on a survey of 515 working adults, the polynomial regression and response surface analysis results support that embeddedness is highest in the presence of both high individual and organizational collectivism. Additionally, the smaller the discrepancy between the two perceptions, the more embedded the employees. Our study contributes to the cultural perspectives in the organizational embeddedness research by theorizing and measuring the impact of collectivism at the individual level. The findings also contribute to the person–organization fit theory by identifying a value congruence approach to organizational embeddedness.

The Impact of the CSR-Embedded Crisis Response: The Role of Values Congruence between Leadership Styles and CSR Motives

Grounded in the values congruence proposition, this study examined the interplay between leadership styles and corporate social responsibility (CSR) motives in different crisis contexts. The results of a 2 (crisis type) × 2 (leadership style) × 2 (CSR motives) between-subjects experiment showed that the congruent combination of leadership styles and CSR motives maximized the insulating effect of CSR practice but only when the crisis type was victim. In a victim crisis, utilizing intrinsic CSR motives gained greater word-of-mouth intention and purchase intention when combined with transformational leadership than with transactional leadership. In a preventable crisis, the positive effect of values congruence disappeared and even backfired. More specifically, the congruence between transactional leadership and extrinsic CSR motives amplified the negative impact of a crisis. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Identification and emotional attachment in higher education: antecedents and consequences

ABSTRACT Identification and attachment are topics comprehensively investigated in consumer–brand and person–non-business institution relationships. However, little is known about the antecedents and consequences of these concepts in the university–student relationship. We investigate the attachment–identification connection with the student–university relationship viewpoint. Therefore, we first researched the effects of trust, faculty image, perceived quality, and value congruence on student–university identification. Second, we assessed emotional attachment and student satisfaction as identification’s consequences. Finally, we considered positive word-of-mouth as the outputs of attachment and satisfaction. We found that perceived quality, faculty image, trust, and value congruence reinforce student–school identification. Also, identification is the emotional glue that cements the bond between students and school to ensure satisfaction. Besides, attachment and satisfaction lead to positive word-of-mouth. Additionally, serial mediation analyses showed that identification, attachment, and satisfaction create the links between the identification’s antecedents and positive WOM. We also found differences between students and graduates in some relationships.

Believe to go the extra mile: the influence of internal CSR initiatives on service employee organizational citizenship behaviors

PurposeLeveraging the power of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is strategically important to corporations. Although various studies have explored the positive effects of CSR, few have been devoted to the investigation of CSR related to service employees from the internal marketing perspective. Therefore, this study fills this research gap by developing a conceptual model based on social influence theory to explain how internal CSR initiatives affect service employees' attitudes and behaviors.Design/methodology/approachThis study develops and empirically tests a theoretical model examining the impact of internal CSR initiatives (i.e. internal dissemination of and management support for CSR) on service employees' attitudes toward an organization (i.e. employee–company identification and value congruence), which ultimately enhance their organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) toward customers, other employees and the organization. Survey data from 271 frontline employees of service firms actively involved in CSR-related activities were examined with structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results suggest that perceived internal dissemination of and management support for CSR affect service employees' citizenship behaviors toward customers, other employees and the organization through the mediation of employee–company identification and value congruence.Practical implicationsInternal CSR initiatives are highly related to service employees' various OCBs that are beneficial to improving the service performance of firms. Therefore, it is imperative for companies to devote attention to internal marketing dissemination while promoting CSR. In addition, as managers' attitudes and behaviors trickle down to employees, service supervisors' support of CSR activities plays a significant role in forming employee perceptions of a firm's CSR dedication.Originality/valueThis study represents one of the first to view internal CSR initiatives as an effective internal marketing lever. Moreover, the relationship between internal CSR initiatives and service employees' OCBs – OCB toward customers, other employees and the organization – is proposed and tested with an empirical model, providing significant contributions.

The relationship between perceived value congruence and teacher commitment: a moderated mediation model of teacher self-efficacy and time pressure

ABSTRACT Based on the person-organisation fit theory, this study examines the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between value congruence and teacher commitment among schoolteachers. We tested whether value congruence was related to higher teacher commitment via teacher self-efficacy and whether time pressure moderated these potential direct and indirect relationships. We tested our hypotheses on a sample of 1831 schoolteachers (63.5% women; Mage = 35.4). Using structural equation modelling, we found that value congruence was related to higher teacher self-efficacy, which, in turn, was related to higher teacher commitment. The relationships between value congruence and teacher self-efficacy and commitment and the indirect relationship via self-efficacy were weaker for those teachers who perceived more time pressure. Actions designed to promote value congruence may help to promote teacher self-efficacy and result in higher commitment. Furthermore, schools should develop a positive form of reciprocation by helping teachers to reduce unnecessary workload.

Ethical person-environment fit: An integrative definition, key findings, and a call for future research

Although studies of ethical fit have been informative, the need to map a variety of seemingly disparate ethics-centered constructs (e.g., values congruence, ethical conflict) to the ethical fit domain still exists. Thus, a tripartite framework of ethical person-environment fit is proposed that includes affective, behavioral, and cognitive dimensions, resulting in a parsimonious set of ethical fit types. An integrative definition of ethical fit is provided, describing what constitutes ethical fit between employees and the organizational environment. Using the proposed organizing framework, empirical research on ethical fit is reviewed, highlighting key findings, resolving conceptual challenges, and identifying areas for future research. This review of the ethical fit literature revealed that there was an inconsistent pattern of results for studies operationalizing ethical fit using affective constructs. Conversely, those using moral-cognitive constructs, or a combination of affective, behavioral, and cognitive constructs consistently demonstrated positive associations between ethical fit and outcomes.