Person–Organization Fit

Amy L. Kristof-Brown

Person–organization (PO) fit is defined as the compatibility between people and organizations, which occurs when at least one entity provides what the other needs; they share similar fundamental characteristics; or both. This definition includes examples of mutual need fulfillment, value congruence between individuals and organizations, personality similarity between individuals and other members of the organization, and shared individual and organizational goals. PO fit has also been called person–culture fit. Based in the interactionist perspective, in which both personal and environmental characteristics interact to predict individual outcomes, PO fit gained greatest prominence in the early 1990s. Since that time more than 100 studies have been conducted that emphasize the match between individuals and organizational cultures, not just the jobs within those organizations. In the text that follows, a brief history of the concept and its theoretical underpinnings, antecedents, and consequences are described. In 1958 Chris Argyris proposed that organizations were characterized ...

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