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Person-Group (PG) fit is defined as the perceived compatibility between an individual and his or her workgroup, reflecting various social- and task-related elements of group work (Li, Kristof-Brown, & Nielsen, 2019). Although Yu’s (2013) theoretical motivation model of fit suggests that individuals are motivated and capable of changing and managing their PG fit perceptions, there is limited research on the specific actions that individuals take to manage their fit perceptions. Rather, most of the research in fit is concentrated on the positive outcomes (e.g., job satisfaction, commitment, performance) associated with fit (Kristof-Brown, Zimmerman, & Johnson, 2005) and portrays individuals as passive recipients of their fit perceptions. The purpose of this study is to extend Yu’s (2013) model to demonstrate that individuals are active agents who seek to maintain high levels of PG fit and alter low levels of PG fit. To understand how individuals manage PG fit, I adopt the perspective that fit perceptions are, in part, socially constructed, such that groupmates’ actions can make individuals believe that they are more/less of a fit (Follmer, Talbot, Kristof-Brown, Astrove, & Billsberry, 2018). Thus, individuals are triggered to use impression management (IM) tactics to create, maintain, alter, control, and protect the images that others form of them (Leary & Kowalski, 1990). However, with the myriad of IM tactics, it is unclear what type of PG fit perceptions will trigger which specific IM tactics. This dissertation develops and tests a model that situates IM tactic usage based on what type of PG fit (e.g., social vs. task-based PG fit) is being pursued and what level of PG fit (higher vs. lower) the individual is currently perceiving. To facilitate the connection between PG fit and IM tactics, I also develop a typology that classifies commonly used IM tactics for explaining the situations that will influence the selection of specific tactics. Finally, I explore the psychological and emotional aftermath of engaging in IM tactics by examining which specific IM tactics are more likely to promote or harm: 1-individuals’ perception of PG fit, 2-individuals’ perception how groupmates perceive their PG fit, and 3-groupmates’ perception of the focal individuals’ PG fit. I tested this model with a multisource, three waved time-lagged field survey study across a two-month period. I collected data in two samples: university staff employees who work in group settings and student groups in a business consulting class. Using structural equation modeling and latent change scores, I found that individuals are not passive respondents of their PG fit perceptions. Rather, they are active agents who seek to maintain higher levels of fit and alter lower levels of fit using IM tactics. Yet, the likelihood of using certain tactics for individuals with higher levels of fit differed from the tactics used by individuals with lower levels of fit. Some tactics were associated with improvements in fit, others were not, and a few were associated with reductions in fit. Generally, individuals who began with higher levels of perceived PG fit engaged in IM tactics that were later associated with improved fit. In contrast, individuals who had lower levels of perceived PG fit (namely social-based PG fit) engaged in IM tactics that were later shown to be associated with reductions in fit. These results suggest that individuals with high levels of fit tend to choose the “correct” IM tactics to maintain and improve their fit to an even higher degree, but the misfits tend to choose tactics that damage their fit even further. This highlights the importance of understanding that even though individuals are active agents who seek to manage their perceived fit, the specific actions they engage in to do so are complex and not always appropriate. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as future research directions, are discussed.

In the field of organizational behavior, it has been a long-range debate whether personality attributes or situations impact individuals¡¦ behavior more significantly. Actually, person and work environment both can not be ignored, researcher have noticed the concept of person-environment (P-E) fit proved to influence various work outcomes significantly. Furthermore, there is an emerging issue about common method variance (CMV) in the field of fit researches. As a result, this research intends to develop four Q-sort profiles to apply Q-methodology for measuring P-O, P-J, P-S as well as P-G fit such that the bias of common method variance can be reduced. We proposed five research objectives in this research: (1) to develop four valid and manageable Q-sort profiles as indirect measures of P-O, P-J, P-G, and P-S fit; (2) to test the correlation between direct and indirect measures of P-E fit such that the criterion-related validity of the four Q-sort profiles can be verified; (3) to test the individual relationships between four main types of P-E fit and their outcome criteria so as to verify the criterion-related validity; (4) to understand the overall and relative impacts of four types of P-E fit on their outcomes; (5) to manifest the most desirable and undesirable organizational culture, job contents, supervisor leadership behaviors, and workgroup characteristics of employees in Taiwan. Thus, the four Q-sort profiles (i.e., condensed OCP, Job Characteristics Profile, Supervisor Leadership Profile, and Workgroup Characteristics Profile) have been developed, and validated by two categories of criteria (i.e. direct measures and work0related outcomes). Despite that the correlation between indirect and direct measures of P-E fit is not significant, indirect measure of P-O, P-J, P-G, and P-S fit are significantly correlated with at least three work-related outcomes. Next, we test our hypotheses with a regression analysis, and the result reveals that P-O and P-S fit have strong impacts on their work-related outcomes, but the impacts of P-J and P-G fit are not salient. Finally, we present the preferences of employees in Taiwan through their own rankings.

As a result of structural changes in the global economy, many organisations are faced with changing workforce demographics. The global workforce is changing not only in terms of age and race, but also in terms of gender (International Labour Office, 2009). This change is referred to as the feminization of labour, and it poses many challenges to organisations as women are entering careers that have previously been predominated by men such as medicine, pharmacy, accounting, engineering and mining (Blau & Kahn, 2000). The retention of women in atypical careers has become a growing concern, as these women are often faced with challenges in the workplace, such as sexual discrimination, hostility and resentment from their co-workers, and physical violence in the workplace (Cognard-Black, 2004). These obstacles encountered by women in atypical positions result in their experiencing difficulty fitting into their groups at work and their organisations as a whole, which increases their turnover intentions (Young & Hurlic, 2007). For effective retention of women in atypical positions in an effort to secure a truly diverse workforce, organisations must be aware of the factors that affect their career decision making. Young and Hurlic (2007) have proposed a model of gender enactment and fit in relation to career decisions of women in atypical positions. They suggest that gender enactment of employees in atypical positions, in relation to the gender-based micro-culture of their work groups ultimately affects their person-group fit, person-organisation fit and career decision making. The main objective, therefore, of this research has been to explore the constructs outlined in the model of Young and Hurlic (2007) within the South African context and to establish their influence on the career decision making of a sample of South African employees in atypical positions. The research has been explorative in nature, and a qualitative design was used to achieve the research objectives. Participants were invited to participate in the research on a voluntary basis, and they were selected by means of a purposive sampling method. Criteria that were decided upon for the selection of participants were that participants needed to be female, permanently employed and occupying atypical occupations within the same organisation. Based on these criteria, a total population of ten employees was included in the research study (N=10). Qualitative data was collected by means of unstructured and semi-structured interviews. The results indicated that awareness, group acceptance, person-group fit, perceived stress, and person-organisation fit were the key determinants of the career decisions of participants. Awareness was found to be related to group acceptance, whereas group acceptance was identified as being related to person-group fit. Person-group and person-organisation fit were found to result in participants considering lateral career moves, choosing to stay in their current positions, or seeking promotions. Conversely, perceived stress was found to have a negative impact in the career decision making of participants, as all participants who reported perceived stress planned to leave their respective organisation. / MA, Industrial Psychology, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

As a result of structural changes in the global economy, many organisations are faced with changing workforce demographics. The global workforce is changing not only in terms of age and race, but also in terms of gender (International Labour Office, 2009). This change is referred to as the feminization of labour, and it poses many challenges to organisations as women are entering careers that have previously been predominated by men such as medicine, pharmacy, accounting, engineering and mining (Blau & Kahn, 2000). The retention of women in atypical careers has become a growing concern, as these women are often faced with challenges in the workplace, such as sexual discrimination, hostility and resentment from their co-workers, and physical violence in the workplace (Cognard-Black, 2004). These obstacles encountered by women in atypical positions result in their experiencing difficulty fitting into their groups at work and their organisations as a whole, which increases their turnover intentions (Young & Hurlic, 2007). For effective retention of women in atypical positions in an effort to secure a truly diverse workforce, organisations must be aware of the factors that affect their career decision making. Young and Hurlic (2007) have proposed a model of gender enactment and fit in relation to career decisions of women in atypical positions. They suggest that gender enactment of employees in atypical positions, in relation to the gender-based micro-culture of their work groups ultimately affects their person-group fit, person-organisation fit and career decision making. The main objective, therefore, of this research has been to explore the constructs outlined in the model of Young and Hurlic (2007) within the South African context and to establish their influence on the career decision making of a sample of South African employees in atypical positions. The research has been explorative in nature, and a qualitative design was used to achieve the research objectives. Participants were invited to participate in the research on a voluntary basis, and they were selected by means of a purposive sampling method. Criteria that were decided upon for the selection of participants were that participants needed to be female, permanently employed and occupying atypical occupations within the same organisation. Based on these criteria, a total population of ten employees was included in the research study (N=10). Qualitative data was collected by means of unstructured and semi-structured interviews. The results indicated that awareness, group acceptance, person-group fit, perceived stress, and person-organisation fit were the key determinants of the career decisions of participants. Awareness was found to be related to group acceptance, whereas group acceptance was identified as being related to person-group fit. Person-group and person-organisation fit were found to result in participants considering lateral career moves, choosing to stay in their current positions, or seeking promotions. Conversely, perceived stress was found to have a negative impact in the career decision making of participants, as all participants who reported perceived stress planned to leave their respective organisation. / MA, Industrial Psychology, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

Our work and the organization in which we work play significant roles in many of our lives. Yet, theoretically grounded understanding of when is it that the relationships with our work and that with our work environment make a great place to work is almost non-existent. So far the organizations that feature in the Fortune Best Companies to Work For, or the Forbes the Happiest Companies to Work For, or the Glassdoor Best Places to Work, etc., are considered as proxies for great places to work. However, the characterizations of the antecedents of these workplaces are fragmented, idiosyncratic, and confounding, as they cover a wide span of factors (e.g., pride, job satisfaction, flexibility, inspiring leadership, camaraderie, trust, work-life balance, etc.), and adopt a one-size fits all approach, without a theoretical underpinning, limiting their generalizability and usefulness. In my dissertation, I addressed these shortcomings through the fit perspective and through the mechanism of meaning in and at work. I proposed the meaning-through-fit model of great places to work, underpinned by identity (Stryker & Berke, 2000), social identity (Ashforth & Mael, 1989), and social information processing theories (Salancik & Pfeffer, 1978). The model hypothesized that the employees’ perception of a great place to work is built and sustained by meaning in work (from the relationship with the work itself) based on the underlying person-work fit, and by meaning at work (from the relationship with the work environment) based on the underlying person-supervisor, the person-group, and the person-organization fits. I tested the proposed model using a mixed methods approach, with the help of three Studies. In Study 1, I conducted 26 semi-structured interviews to assess the face validity of the model and to obtain inputs for the survey instrument and for the scenario descriptions to be used in Study 2. In Study 2, I tested the hypothesized model with the help of quantitative data gathered through a three-wave Main Survey with participants from MTurk (N=481), after two Pilot Surveys (N=95 and 247). I confirmed the results through Scenario Analysis with participants from MTurk (N=399). Out of the seven main variables in the proposed model, I developed scales to measure three variables (employees’ perception of a great place to work, meaning at work, and person-group fit), and refined the scales to measure four variables (person-work fit, person-supervisor fit, person-organization fit, and meaning in work). In Study 3, I conducted 45 structured interviews in order to gain a deeper understanding of the findings from Study 2. The quantitative data gathered in Study 2 provided partial support to the proposed model, indicating that meaning in work partly mediated the relationship between person-work fit and employees’ perception of a great places to work, and meaning at work partly mediated the relationship between person-organization fit and employees’ perception of a great place to work. The data also indicated that meaning at work is the more significant predictor compared to meaning in work. Among the fits, person-organization fit mattered the most. Study 3 provided interesting insights and explanations about the findings from Study 2. The meaning-through-fit model of great places to work works around the problematic one-size fits all approach, acknowledges the differences among the employees in the understanding of and expectations from a great places to work, offers increased generalizability and a pathway to leaders to build great places to work from the employees’ perspective, and contributes theoretically and empirically to Positive Organizational Scholarship. / Graduate / 2019-08-26

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Knowledge has been recognized as an important resource that should be carefully managed in order to enhance organizational competitiveness. Therefore, it is important to manage knowledge resources that have been learned and stored in organizations. Several scholars in the public administration literature have examined whether public service motivation (PSM) can help employees share their knowledge in ways that contribute to the effective functioning of public organizations. However, the mechanisms by which PSM influences individuals’ propensity to share knowledge have not been clarified by past research. Against this background, at first, this study contributes to understanding the relationship between PSM and knowledge sharing by applying self-determination theory with a logical insight of the intrinsic knowledge sharing motivation process. This study also examined that relationship by testing three competing psychological mechanisms based on person-environment (P-E) fit theory: (1) person-group (P-G) fit, (2) person-job (P-J) fit, and (3) person-supervisor (P-S) fit. The research questions for this study are as follows: Do individuals with higher levels of PSM have a higher propensity toward knowledge sharing? Does the congruence between employees and their work environment increase employees’ knowledge sharing behavior? Do PSM-driven employees have higher willingness to fit in the work environment? Does P-E fit theory help explain the causal relationship between PSM and knowledge sharing? Based on primary data of 1,094 occupationally diverse employees working in 33 local governments in South Korea, the current study found that caution should be exercised when making claims regarding the effects of PSM on individuals’ propensity to share knowledge and that greater emphasis should be placed on ways public sector organizations can foster P-G fit and P-J fit. However, this study also found that the relationship between PSM and knowledge sharing is not mediated by the extent to which employees perceive that their values are congruent with those of their supervisors. Keywords: public service motivation (PSM), person-environment fit (P-E fit), person-group fit (P-G fit), person-job fit (P-J fit), person-supervisor fit (P-S fit), knowledge sharing