The impact of perceived and actual PO fit on employees’ work-related attitudes and behaviors

The fit between employees and their organization (person-organization fit, i.e., PO fit) tends to have a significant influence on a variety of important work-related attitudes and behaviors, such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover intention, and performance (Kristof-Brown, Zimmerman, & Johnson, 2005; Verquer, Beehr, & Wagner, 2003). Yet, previous studies provided mixed results regarding the consequences of PO fit. This is probably due to differences in the operationalization and measurement of PO fit. One the one hand, perceived or subjective PO fit indicates employees’ perceptions of fit between their own values and those of the organization. It is measured directly by asking employees to estimate the perceived PO fit. On the other hand, actual or objective PO fit is measured indirectly by calculating the difference between the values of the employees and those of their organization. In line with previous studies, the present study examined the influence of PO fit on different work attitudes and behavior, however, special attention was additionally given to the differential role of perceived and actual PO fit. Important meta-analyses in the field showed that although both methods of measurement indicate a beneficial effect, perceived fit is generally more strongly related to outcomes than actual fit (Kristof-Brown et al, 2005; Verquer et al, 2003). In a first set of hypotheses we predicted that perceived as well as actual PO fit are positively related to job satisfaction, task performance, and work effort, and negatively related to turnover intentions. In a second set of hypotheses we predicted that perceived PO fit better predicts work outcomes than actual PO fit.status: publishe