Theoretical anchors for person-environment fit: a perspective from construal level theory and self-determination theory.

Person-environment fit (PE fit) scholars have supported the PE fit paradigm with a solid empirical foundation. Theoretically, however, there still is a lot of work to be done. What we know is that positive outcomes occur when supplies from the environment meet people’s needs, when people’s abilities meet demands from the environment, and when people feel similar to their social environment. What we do not know, however, is whether these statements hold true regardless of which specific characteristics are considered. For example, we know that a fit between personal values and organizational values leads to attraction in recruitment, but is this true for all values? Could some types of value fit be more strongly related to attraction than other types? And does context play a role in which type of value fit is more relevant? In short, PE fit literature is in need of studies on specific types of fit, as well as on the boundary conditions to their positive outcomes. The main goal of this doctoral dissertation was therefore to further develop PE fit by drawing from theoretical frameworks that could identify such specific types of fit and boundary conditions, i.e., construal level theory (CLT) and self-determination theory (SDT). First, we adopted the cognitive approach of CLT.  In CLT, psychological distance is the core concept, explaining which information from the environment (i.e., vision communication or goal setting by the supervisor) is preferred, and detailing when abstract vs. concrete aspects of fit (i.e., industry-based PO fit vs. actual PO fit) come to the fore and consequently influence outcomes. Second, we turned to the motivational approach of SDT, which proposes that some personal and environmental characteristics (i.e., intrinsic personal and organizational values) are qualitatively better than others (i.e., extrinsic personal and organizational values), since they are linked to the satisfaction of basic psychological needs. As a consequence, an intrinsic environment should appeal to anyone, regardless of fit.