Person-Environment Fit Perceptions and Satisfaction at Work

Authors

  • Kamarul Zaman Ahmad Faculty of Business and Accountancy, University Malaya, Malaysia
  • Maisarah Mat Khairuddin Faculty of Business and Accountancy University Malaya, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32890/mmj2003.7.1.3

Abstract

This study aims to fulfil two literature gaps in the person-environment fit theory, in particular, relating to the supply-value fit or S-V fit. Firstly, previous research in S-V fit tended to look mainly at autonomy and supervision style. However, there appears to be no reported research that has simultaneously investigated in a single study, the effects of the discrepancy between the perceived and desired levels of work quantity, variety, power, responsibility and concentration required for the job. This study aims to fill that gap. This study examines the discrepancy between the supplies and values of work quantity, variety, power, responsibility and concentration, and its relationship with satisfaction at work. Secondly, the S-V fit theory has been relatively established in developed countries such as America and Britain. However it would be interesting to discover whether the theory is also applicable among civil service workers in a small isolated town, in a developing country such as Malaysia. Questionnaires were distributed and collected from one hundred respondents working in a government department in a small town of Gua Musang in Peninsular Malaysia. Support for the S-V fit theory was obtained, as results suggested that the greater the discrepancy between the supplies and values of work quantity, variety, power, responsibility and concentration required at work, the lesser was the satisfaction. The implication therefore was that if managers were desirous of improving satisfaction of their workers, they should ensure that their workers receive neither too much nor too little work variety, power, responsibility and concentration at work-for either state can result in lower satisfaction.

 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ahmad, K. Z. B. (1996). A comparative study of job satisfaction prior to and after the implementation of the new remuneration scheme in EPF. Unpublished MBA Dissertation. University of Malaya library.

Blau, G. J. (1987). Using a person-environment fit model to predict job involvement and organisational commitment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 30, 240-257.

Bowers, K. (1973). Situations in psychology: an analysis and critique. Psychological Review, 80, 307-36. Buboltz, W. C., Ebberwein, C., Watkins, C. E., &

Savickas, M. L. (1995). A comparison of the content, authors and institutions represented in the Career Development Quarterly and the Journal of Vocational Behaviour. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 46, 216-226.

Caplan, R. D. (1987). Person-environment fit theory and organizations: commensurate dimensions, time perspectives, and mechanisms. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 31, 248-267.

De Meuse, K.P. (1986). A compendium of frequently used measures in industrial / organizational psychology. The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, 23, (2), 53-59.

Dipboye, R. L., Smith, C. S., & Howell, W. C. (1994). Understanding Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt Brace & Company.

Edwards, J. R. (1996). An examination of competing versions of the person–environment fit approach to stress. Academy of Management Journal, 39, 292-339.

Edwards, J. R. (1991). Person-job fit: a conceptual integration, literature review and methodological critique. International Review of Industrial/ Organizational Psychology, 6, 283-357.

Edwards, J. R. & Cooper, C. L. (1990). The person-environment fit approach to stress: recurring problems and some suggested solutions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 11, 293-307.

Endler, N. S., & Edwards, J. (1978). Person by treatment interactions in personality research. In L.A. Pervin & M. Lewis (Eds.), Perspectives in Interactional Psychology. New York: Plenum.

French, J. R. P., Caplan, R. D. & Harrison, R. V. (1982). The Mechanisms of Job Stress and Strain. London: John Wiley & Sons.

French, J. R. P. Jr., Rogers, W., & Cobb, S. (1974). Adjustment as person-environment fit. In G.V. Coelho, D.A. Hamburg, & J.E. Adams (Eds.), Coping and Adaptation. New York: Basic Books.

Freud, S. (1938). The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud. New York: Modern Library.

Goh, C. T., Koh, H. C., & Low, C. K. (1991). Gender effects on the job-satisfaction of accountants in Singapore. Work and Stress, 5, (4), 341-348.

Hackman, J. & Oldham, G. R. (1975). Development of the job diagnostic survey. Journal of Applied Psychology, 60, (2), 159-170.

Hackman, J. R. & Oldham, G. R. (1980). Work Redesign. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Malaysian Management Journal 7 (1), 35-46 (2003) http://mmj.uum.edu.my

Hanisch, K. A. (1992.) The Job Descriptive Index revisited: questions about the question mark. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77, (3), 377-382.

Herzberg, F., Mausner, B. & Snyderman, B. (1959). The Motivation to Work. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Locke, E. A. (1969). What is job satisfaction? Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 4, 309-336.

Locke, E. A. (1976). The nature and causes of job satisfaction. In Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. (ed. Dunnette, M. D.), Skokie, IL: Rand McNally.

Hulin, C. L., Drasgow, F., & Komocar, J. (1982). Applications of item response theory to analysis of attitude scale translations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 67, (6), 818-825. Mackowiak, J.I., Mackowiak, L. R. & Schulz, R.

M. (1990). Person-environment fit as a predictor of hospital pharmacist job performance. American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 47, 1089-1095. Ironson, G. H., Brannick, M. T., Smith, P.C.,

Gibson, W. M., & Paul, K. B. (1989). Construction of a job in general scale: comparison of global, composite and specific measures. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, (2), 193-200.

Maghrabi, A.S. & Johnson, D.A. (1995). An Arabic version of the revised Job Descriptive Index. Current Psychology, 14, (1), 47-53.

Jung, K. G., Dalessio, A. & Johnson, S. M. (1986). Stability of the factor structure of the Job Descriptive Index. Academy of Management Journal, 29, 3, 609-616.

Kristof, A. (1996). Person-organisation fit: an integrative review ofits conceptuali-sations, measurement, and implications. Personnel Psychology, 49, 1-49.

Kulik, C. T., Oldham, G. R. & Hackman, J. R. (1987). Work design as an approach to person-environment fit. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 31, 297-318.

Lam, S. K. (1995). International Journal of Management, 12, (1), 96-101.

Lewin, K. (1951). Field Theory in Social Science. New York: Harper.

Livingstone, L. P., Nelson, D. L. & Barr, S. H. (1997). Person – environment fit and creativity: an examination of supply – value and demand – ability versions of fit. Journal of Management, 23, (2), 119-146.

Malim, T. & Birch, A. (1998). Introductory Psychology. London: MacMillan Press Ltd.

Merahbian, A. (1968). An Analysis of Personality Theories. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Mischel, W. (1968). Personality and Assessment. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Muchinsky, P. M. & Monohan, C. J. (1987). What is person-environment congruence? supplementary versus complementary models of fit. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 31, 268-277.

Murray, H. A. (1938). Explorations in Personality. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Naylor, J. C., Pritchard, R. D. & Ilgen, D. R. (1980). A Theory of Behavior in Organizations. New York: Academic Press.

O’connor, E. J., Peters, L. H. & Gordon, S. M. (1978). The measurement of job satisfaction: current practices and future considerations. Journal of Management, 4, 17-26.

Osipow, S.H.(1987). Applying person-environment theory to vocational behavior. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 31, 333-336. Malaysian Management Journal 7 (1), 35-46 (2003)

Parsons, F. (1909). Choosing a Vocation. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Pervin, L. A. (1989). Persons, situations, interactions: the history and a discussion of theoretical models. Academy of Management Review, 14, (3), 350-360. http://mmj.uum.edu.my

Porter, L.W. & Lawler, E.E. (1968). Managerial Attitudes and Performance. Homewood, IL: Dorsey Press.

Posner, B. Z., Kouzes, J. M. & Schmidt, W. H. (1985). Shared values make a difference – an empirical test of corporate culture. Human Resources Management, 24, (3), 293-309.

Roberts, H.E. & Foti, R.J. (1998). Evaluating the interaction between self-leadership and work structure in predicting job satisfaction. Journal of Business and Psychology, 12, (3), 257267.

Sarason, I.G., Smith, R.E. & Diener, E. (1975). Personality research: components of variance attributable to the person and the situation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 199-204.

Schneider, B. (1978). Person-situation selection: a review of some ability-situation interaction research. Personnel Psychology, 31, 281-297.

Sims, H., Szilagyi, A. & Keller, R. (1976). The measurement of job characteristics. Academy of Management Journal, 19, 195-212.

Smart, J. C., Elton, C. F. & Mclaughlin, G. W. (1986). Journal of Vocational Behavior, 29, 216-225.

Smith, P.C., Kendall, L.M. & Hulin, C. L. (1969). The Measurement of Satisfaction in Work and Retirement: A Strategy for the Study of Attitudes. Chicago: Rand McNally & Company.

Stogdill, R. M. (1963). Manual for the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire – Form XII. Columbus: Bureau of Business Research, The Ohio State University.

Yeager, S.J. (1981). Dimensionality of the Job Descriptive Index. Academy of Management Journal, 24, 205-212. Malaysian Management Journal 7 (1), 35-46 (2003)

Downloads

Published

01-06-2003

How to Cite

Ahmad, K. Z., & Mat Khairuddin, M. (2003). Person-Environment Fit Perceptions and Satisfaction at Work. Malaysian Management Journal, 7(1), 35-46. https://doi.org/10.32890/mmj2003.7.1.3

Research impact

Harvested 2026-09-06
0 citations recorded so far

Counts differ between services because each indexes a different body of literature. None of them is the whole picture.

Identifiers DOI 10.32890/mmj2003.7.1.3

Most read articles by the same author(s)