Standards and Quality in PE and PO Fit

 Outline how your study (is/will) apply at least three research standards that represent “good” qualitative research, which also can be used for readers to assess the quality of your work and your final product. Speak with and through citations. 

Worthy topic

Tracy writes that "Good qualitative research is relevant, timely, significant, interesting, or evocative. Worthy topics often emerge from disciplinary priorities and, therefore, are theoretically or conceptually compelling" (p. 840). PO Fit theory is an established and relevant theory that has been in use for years, yet is not well known in recruiting departments within the community that I support. The community suffers from a high turnover rate, and little to no retention among new employees, and many transitions within the organization even for older, more experienced workers. Including information on PO fit or any “values fit” theory could help recruiters support a more mature recruiting and retention methodology and help the community keep more workers in the organizations where they began their careers. There is an established link between retention and seniority and improved safety records, so using PO Fit to improve recruiting and retention could have benefits for the community in terms of safety as well as in reducing recruiting costs.

 

Rich rigor

The study I am working on is deep in terms of its rigor and research. Very few studies of this kind have been performed by researchers or trainers in the community we serve. In general, the philosophy is a “learn by doing” model, and finding research opportunities or researcher who can explore new ways of doing things and research and analyze findings is quite rare. Qualitative research is unknown in the community I support and it will be worthwhile to help this community understand the capabilities of this type of research.

 

Significant contribution

Whether or not there are significant findings from this study, this research, due to its uniqueness within the community we support, will make a significant contribution to the community. Positive findings that can help move PO Fit into the community and help support more effective recruiting would be a good, and worthwhile result, but even without this, improving the understanding of the PO Fit theory and “values fit” theory within the community’s recruiting network should have positive effects for organizations within the community, for the community in general and for the individual workers. Tracy (2010) writes of research that makes a significant contribution that "at its most basic, research may provide a theoretical contribution by examining how existing theory or concepts make sense in a new and different context" (p. 846). PO fit is established in many other contexts but is rarely used in the community I support so it will make a significant contribution regardless of whether or not there are positive effects of PO Fit on the participants and their organizations. 

 

Meaningful coherence

Since PO Fit is such a new concept, there is a lack of understanding from those who may read the research and the participants of the interviews into what PO Fit means or can mean for recruiting and retention. Despite this lack of understanding or clarity of the subject matter, the interviews should help both the participants understand the importance of PO Fit, and the article provides an in-depth understanding of PO Fit that should help any reader, even those without any experience with “values fit” understand the benefits and the capabilities of using this type of perspective in recruiting and retention efforts.

  

Describe at least two ethical considerations relevant to study methodology? How are/will you address these considerations?

 Ethical Consideration - Perspectives and Voice

AREA (2006) states, "The issues of power involved in whose versions of events are privileged and who decides which events or aspects are included and/or omitted should be acknowledged. It should be clear how participants’ perspectives were respected and honored" (p. 486). This research has issues regarding privilege and power in terms of the researcher's experience vs the participants. There is a gulf between the researcher's position in the community and the participant's position. The researcher has worked in or around the industrial contracting community for over 20 years. During that time, I have only worked with three different contractors. This is rare. I am conducting this research at the tail end of my career. The sample pool for participants for this research was deliberately selected for their relative inexperience and “newness” within the community. This could create challenges in the interview process, the coding, and the analysis of the data that is obtained. Although this is discussed in the article, the challenge and the disparity are a part of the research that could affect the interviews and analysis. Future studies of this sort may want to include researchers who are more “like” the participants, meaning new the community and to the type of dynamic this study is focused on.

Ethical Consideration – Bias

The researcher is presuming that retention would be a net positive for the community both in terms of lowering costs for individual organizations who hire new workers, but also in terms of safety. This idea of creating higher retention rates may not be a net benefit nor have a direct benefit for individual workers. AERA (2006) states that "an important characteristic of much humanities-oriented research in education is that it directly takes on questions related to values, morals, and ideals based on the assumption that no research (and no researcher) is neutral when it comes to values" (p. 486). This is an issue when the research for this proposed article is seen from the lens of the worker vs that of the researcher. Workers usually jump from one contracting organization to another due to pay increases that usually accompany those jumps. Workers can leverage their skill and experience to obtain new jobs at other organizations and work their way through a career ladder that incorporates multiple organizations. The research for this article, and the idea of PO Fit and “values fit” does not take into account the idea of using transitions between organizations in this manner. Although PO Fit theory and “values fit” theory are explained in detail in this article, and the benefits are highlighted, the benefits to workers in terms of pay and career growth through transitioning through organizations as described above are not well known to workers in the industry. Future work may want to approach educating both organizations and workers on the benefits of PO Fit and “values fit” for the community.

References

AERA. (2006). Standards for reporting on empirical social science research in AERA publications. Educational Researcher, 35(6), 33–40. doi:10.3102/0013189X035006033

Tracy, S. J. (2010). Qualitative quality: Eight “big-tent” criteria for excellent qualitative research. Qualitative inquiry, 16(10), 837-851.

Edited by Dick Hannah on Apr 17 at 10:35am

Myles and Paulo

Andrew and I had a rousing discussion about Horton and Freire and their radical views on education and social diversity. I have a snippet from the book which I marked which resonated with me in a manner that might help answer his questions. 

It's a longish statement that I marked, but the whole book is one long statement back and forth from these two. Kinda boring to tell you the truth. Not as deep or colorful as an actual book would have been. 

During their conversation, Myles says, “the government is trying to launch a literacy campaign without having any reason for it except that it’d be a good thing if people could become literate. There could be found pockets in the country where you could have successful literacy programs, but just to assume it anywhere and everywhere . . . I think the poor and the people who can’t read and write have a sense that without structural changes nothing is worth really getting excited about. They know much more clearly than intellectuals do that reforms don’t reform. They don’t change anything” (p. 93). Then later in the same soliloquy he says “So to embolden people to act, the challenge has got to be a radical challenge. It can’t be little simplistic reform that reformer think will help them. It’s got to be something that they know out of experience could possibly bring about change” (p. 94). 

Another aspect of their conversation comes about a little later when they are discussing if anyone can just teach biology, that no teacher can be truly non-bias or non-prejudice about their perspective when teaching. That there will be a social position with whatever is taught. 

These two parts of their discussion resonated with me in terms of their views on change and the educational system. They both seem to believe that radical change is necessary for transformative changes in society and that it’s necessary, if not natural for teachers to be a part of that change due to their position and the tendency against social neutrality. 

Myles says, “when I first started thinking about the relationship of learning and social change, it had nothing to do with Highlander. It’s was years earlier when I was debating with myself this whole idea of neutrality. Academicians, politicians, all the people that are supposed to be guiding this country say you’ve got to be neutral. As soon as I started looking at that word neutral and what it meant, it became very obvious to me there can be no such thing as neutrality. It’s a code word for the existing system. It has nothing to do with anything but agreeing to what is and will always be-that’s what neutrality is. Neutrality is just following the crowd” (p. 102).

It’s these passages that helped me understand more the guiding premises of these two educators and what they were trying to achieve. 

References

Horton, M., & Freire, P. (1990). We make the road by walking: Conversations on education and social change (J. Gaventa & J. Peters, Eds.). Temple University Press.

PO Fit in the Energy Industry

 Person-Environment (PE) fit
theory, although relatively new has become more well-developed and mature since
its inception in 1974 (Caplan 1987). PE fit theory or the idea that finding a "values
congruence" between an employee and the organization they work in has been
studied for decades to determine to what degree PE fit or other subsidiary
concepts and theories can help lessen negative consequences such as high
turnover, and worker burnout. Some of the positive aspects for organizations
who might use PE fit and other fit theories can include greater employee career
prospects, increased worker engagement, and greater job satisfaction.

In 2022, HASC, a non-profit, contractor training organization supporting workers in the energy industry
performed a qualitative study on employees’ experiences of being hired and how fit
theory may have been applied by the hiring organizations. This study was performed
to determine: (a) challenges faced by new employees to organizations among
contractors who support the energy industry, (b) how these new employees deal
with those challenges over their first three months of work, and (c) how the
concepts of "fit" theory apply to these employees, the contracting organizations,
and these challenges. The purpose of this research is to explore in what ways
industrial contractors are motivated to remain at their organizations after
several weeks of work as compared to their expectations about the organization.
A secondary purpose is to help determine if the worker's expectations for the hiring
organization and their goals for themselves align with the organization’s
goals.

Critical Theory in PO and PE Fit

I found three articles/studies that focus on the critical theories that exist around the concepts that I'm focused on for this class (a) values congruence, (b) fit theory, and (c) recruiting and retention. The articles all take a look at hiring frameworks that are used in schools, all of which utilize fit theory for decision-making, to different and varying degrees. Green (2017) looks into an equity-minded approach to foster a more community-focused relationship in schools. 

Green (2017) writes "educational leaders need an equity-centered knowledge base and skill set that can engender more socially just approaches and practices across urban school-community relationships," (p. 371) and they look at this using a framework and focus on three different types of schools/community models. 

Green (2017) concludes that a community equity literacy (CEL) program is needed to make these changes, a program that consists of a more central focus on the community aspect of the relationship. The second study, by White-Lewis (2020) has a focus and presents a study on whether or not hiring managers for higher education positions really use a "fit" framework when making decisions, and if so, is the framework they are using robust enough to ensure that hiring decisions are made in a more equitable manner. 

White-Lewis (2020) writes "the purpose of this study is to investigate how faculty search committee members individually evaluate and collectively select prospective early-career faculty. Using a critical person-environment fit theory specifies an empirically tested model of employee selection, providing an organizing framework and architecture to investigate how, when, and why different biases emerge when evaluating for candidate fit" (p. 834). 

Finally, there is another article, not a study, but rather a chapter from a text, on equity-minded hiring by Liera and Ching (2019). The authors contend that despite efforts toward equalizing hiring among racial groups, administrators and faculty in higher education still favor non-minority candidates. Liera and Ching (2019) advocate reconfiguring and taking a closer look at fit theory used for hiring and what "merit" may mean to hiring and candidate selection committees. 

All three of these studies/articles offer compelling new perspectives from the other articles that I've read, and help readers and researchers understand that fit, used for organizational hiring is not a static feature of the process but that it must be reviewed, results analyzed, and goals understood to ensure that the fit, the framework, and the hiring practices are meeting the goals of the organization. 

References

Green, T. L. (2017). From positivism to critical theory: school-community relations toward community equity literacy. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education: QSE, 30(4), 370–387. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2016.1253892

Liera, R., & Ching, C. (2019). Reconceptualizing “Merit” and “Fit.” In Higher Education Administration for Social Justice and Equity (pp. 111–131). Routledge.

White-Lewis, D. K. (2020). The facade of fit in faculty search processes. The Journal of Higher Education, 91(6), 833–857. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2020.1775058

Creature Comforts

I find what people are comfortable with interesting. I have been reading (and posting about my reading) the Corps series of books by WEB Griffen. They’re fun to read. I saw a post the other day about their being written better than Clancy. I don’t know if I buy that. They’re easier to read than Clancy, but they’re not more fun in my opinion. 

Regardless, there are many times in the Corps series when the main characters enjoy the wealth around them. Usually in Griffen’s books there is someone who is independently wealthy. They buy Brooks Brother’s uniforms, they sleep in hotel suites, they throw parties on yachts, they have private planes, etc etc. 

In this last one I read, the two main characters take some time away from life in the Marines to enjoy sleeping in a suite. One character says, when you have the opportunity for comfort take it, because soon if you’re in the Marines you won’t have the opportunity. 

A while back I wrote about this, that I don’t always tend to take the easy way. At work, the other executives go to Perry’s regularly, they throw lavish parties, they stay at nice hotels, they buy nice shirts and jackets. Then there’s me. The nicest hotel I stay at is Hilton Garden Inn. I wear trousers not slacks. If I eat at Perry’s I’m invited to it, and I don’t usually enjoy it. If I spend more than 25 dollars a day on food when I travel, I think I’m not being a good steward of company money. I’m frugal. Downright miserly even, when it comes to myself. 

Why?

One reason could be I grew up with the trappings of wealth. We didn’t own Ferrari’s or Lamborghinis, but we had friends in the neighborhood who did. I went to a prep school for the first 9 years of my school life. Never had to scramble or save for the most part. Maybe I eschew those things now because of that foundation?

I noticed it in the Army too. When we got somewhere and everyone scrambled for the creature comforts I would just hunker down on the floor and be content with what I had. I was offered a travel stipend of 50 dollars and I said, “A day?” My boss said, “No, per meal.” I never used it beyond 50 dollars a day. I’m content with having little rather than wanting to be grand. I don’t even feel comfortable doing “grand.” I’ve been asked to lead a conference, and my team has to keep reminding me that we have money to spend. 

Then there’s the fact that the other day my boss told me to watch my expenses. Took me back a bit. Then after we discussed it, I found out he meant the expenses I approve for my teams, not my personal expenses. My personal expenses he admitted were among the lowest in the company. My departmental ones were high. 

Guess what, I’m okay with that. 

Tailgates are Never My Thing

I know from multiple personality tests, DiSC profiles, Myers-Briggs, etc etc, that I'm more introvert than extrovert. I mean this in terms of expelling and absorbing energy. Julie, my spirit guide through this life, who has a crystal explanation for just about every mood, situation, or problem, tells me that introverts can be outgoing, but it takes more effort and when after a while they need to recharge. This aligns with what I see in myself. I can be a gregarious and effective and engaging trainer, filled with energy and exposition, but afterward . . . I'm wiped. 

The HASC Tailgate is a wipe-out event for me. There are tons of people, thousands and thousands, hundreds of booths and BBQ's, tons to see and do, and a constant swarm of energy. 

Instead of feeling energized and effervescent after a few hours among the throng, I feel completely exhausted! Good thing Dianna and Rachel showed up! I gave a presentation to them and a bunch of other painters, coatings, and insulators a few years ago, then got to do it again last year. They found me at the tailgate and immediately inspired me (as you can see from the pic) with energy! 

I've decided tailgates might be my thing going forward it I hang out with the painting crowd!

Where's the Make Up and Hair Stylist?

In my defense I didn't know that Kerry was going to use the video! I can understand why though. Kerry is so good looking that she can use any pic or video of herself and look outstanding . . . not so for me obviously. 

This is from a podcast on waterblasting and industrial cleaning that I recorded with Kerry (see HERE). Kerry is blessed with amazing looks and in our world of industrial contracting a gal is rare. A female leader is more rare. A great looking female leader is the hardly ever seen! 

See what I mean? Kerry compared to Dick? No contest. She at least combs her hair!

So, a couple of notes. 

1) I should have brushed my hair. For some reason my hair looks like a toupee!

2) I should have sat up straighter. I look like I can hardly be bothered to hold my head up on my neck.

3) How bout I one day introduce that shirt to an iron. I look like I jumped on a wrinkle grenade to save my friends from getting hit. 

4) Consider a plant or something in the background to draw the eyes off the horrible looking guy. 

A few days after recording this podcast I ran into Kerry in San Antonio at an event. I got to run her through our welding VR simulator. 

She's one of these people who looks great in pictures and looks even better in real life. That type of person who's charisma jumps out at ya. Great leader to follow in our industry. She needs to pick better podcast guests. 

3 More to Go

I’m just three pounds away from hitting my goal weight and stopping this infernal diet. Two years ago I was a bulky, weighty, (seemingly) muscular, 248 pounds. Some days a bit more. I blame too much eating, the creative I tried, and other sundry things. Now, I’m at 208 and I’m hoping to hit 205 by next week. Slimmer, trimmer, and hopefully just as strong and fit as before. 

I want to go on record . . . Because I’ve heard from others about a new diet pill that stops cravings . . . That that is NOT how I was able to manage my weight loss. 

I’ve lost this much and more weight before. I was 270, . . . Almost 280 as a junior and high school. I lost almost 90 pounds over a year by being a vegan. I tried that again, and boy this time, at this point in my life, it didn’t work.

My brother called and told me that he had looked into the craving diet pill, I guess it’s called Lumen. Apparently my sister in law has been using it to great effect. My brother was turned down by his doctor for it’s use due to our shared history of thyroid cancer in our family. But, again, I am not using it. 

I’ve never taken the pill(s) to improve who I am. There were guys in the Rangers who took steroids. I never did. And you know what, they might have looked stronger, but when we went out on missions, they were the ones falling out, and I was plodding on. Hell, Corporal Rowe who worked for me was taking steroids, ripped fuel, creatin, just about every chemical to try and keep up with me on runs! (He never could). I see it as a crutch. A quick win that yields results without the hard work needed to retain the results. 

So if not Lumen, and not veganism, how did I lost 40 pounds? 

Mostly calorie deficit. I tried fasting for a while, that didn’t work, but then I hooked up with Margaret who is a diet coach and she helped a ton. I ate 6 times a day, just 100 calories each time, enough to never feel too terribly hungry. Then one meal that was about 800 calories, and I had to weigh and measure that sucker so my stomach could shrink. Plus it was all mostly protein, the 6 meals all day and the one meal at night, all mostly protein. 

That’s it. I didn’t have to workout more. In fact when I really wanted to lose weight and get over the hump, I wouldn’t work out. It screws up the calculus of how lay 1500 calories a day. 

Oh and for that initial 25-30 pounds I talked to Margaret all the time. The first three weeks she called every day to check on me. Then twice a week. Then once a week. She was a great accountability partner. 

So the point? 

I almost feel too skinny now. But I’m about to hit 50 years old and I’d rather be too skinny than bulky when I hit 50. Plus, I’m doing much better on my fun run races. Even came in first in one! Worth the effort.  

Qualitative Research - Introducing and Positioning Theoretical Frameworks

Problem Statement

What paradigm/onto-epistemology are you situating your research in? Describe some of the philosophical assumptions related to:

• Nature of Reality

Crotty (1998) writes of reality and constructionism, that it "is contingent upon human practices being constructed in and out of the interaction between human beings and their world, and developed and transmitted within an essentially social context" (p. 42). As this study is focused on how new employees interact with their new world or new organization, and how they express what is happening in their interactions with that organization and the people within the organization, the nature of reality that this study proposes to follow is fundamentally one of social construction. 

This, according to Pascale (2011) is what makes up a world view of research with an interpretivism mindset, those researchers who are "committed to the philosophy of social construction" (p. 22). As Creswell and Poth (2018) write about social constructivism and the nature of reality associated with that framework, "multiple realities are constructed through our lived experiences and interactions with others" (p. 35).

• Values

The values that make up a part of this study is that people will inherently know whether or not they are constructing a life or reality that is harmonious with their own values and principles. This is in line with the concept of values fit theory, meaning that employees seek organizations whose values match their own and that this will lead to a more beneficial working environment for the worker. This study attempts to study the phenomenon of what occurs to newly hired workers within a specific industry, a framework based on interpretivism, one that as Jones et al. (2014) citing Crotty (1998) writes, "seeks to take participants and researchers to a deeper understanding of a phenomenon by uncovering aspects that have been hidden" (p. 17) will be followed. understand the lived experiences of n of a specific phenomenon within the energy industry, 

• Relationship between researcher and participant

In other studies of this type, Creswell and Poth (2018) explain that "researchers recognize that their background shapes their interpretation, and they "position themselves" in the research to acknowledge how their Interpretation flows from their own personal, cultural, and historical experiences. Thus, the researchers interpret what they find, an interpretation shaped by their own experiences and background" (p. 24). The relationship between the participants and the researcher in this specific study will be one of an insider who has experienced many of the same challenges the participants will face will have been faced by the researcher years before and who is working to discover what challenges remain in the environment, or in what ways the challenges that employees face in the energy industry might be evolving. The primary researcher and the secondary researchers all have a deep understanding of the energy industry having worked with and in the energy industry contracting community for many years. This understanding, hopefully, will provide greater insight and empathy for the employees, which may lead to a deeper understanding, but could also lead to confirmation bias and thinking within a silo. 

• Nature of Truth

Jones et al (2014) write about the nature of truth for studies that follow a post-positivist epistemology that the research sees truth as sometimes ambiguous. This implies that there are times when results can be predicted based on variables and what might have been noted before. However, as this study is also focusing on a social constructionist epistemology, Jones et al state that the findings from the participants in this study could be individualistic as well. The participant's own lived experiences and the way they interpret those experiences, combined with how they express those experiences, and the researcher's views will make up how the experiences are analyzed and interpreted. 

• Purpose of Research

The purpose of this research is to help understand the contracting learning community that HASC serves. HASC offers classes for new employees entering the energy industry and by understanding the nature of the challenges they face at their hiring organizations, HASC can be more able to guide these employees through training and courses that might help them overcome the challenges that are identified through this research. Additionally, as HASC is a non-profit association that exists for contracting organizations, there is the potential that this study could help influence the hiring practices of these organizations which could then in turn lead to decreased recruiting and onboarding costs, and increase the safety standards of the organizations. A lower turnover rate among employees, especially new-to-the-industry employees, leads to an organization with an employee base with more experience. A lack of experience leads to confusion and potentially a greater number of safety issues. This study could potentially help decrease the number of accidents that contracting organizations absorb as well as decrease recruiting and onboarding costs. 

• View of Knowledge/Knowledge Claims

This study will follow a more constructionist epistemology. The knowledge claims that are a part of this philosophy of research are generally, according to Jones et al (2014) based on the individual's or the participant's own lived experiences. Additionally, there are aspects of interpretivism throughout this research, and as Jones et al. (2014) write that this belief system generally relies on the idea that "knowledge claims that need to be verified by a structured process" (p. 21). This study will analyze responses from multiple participants through multiple interviews. That process will include the fact: 

• Each interview is conducted using a standard set of questions and will occur at roughly similar times in the participant's hiring and working lives. 
• Interviews will be transcribed from a recording that will be used to capture each participant's interview. 
• Notes and transcriptions of the interviews were read and flagged for themes ranging from: (a) job security, (b) personal and family life, (c) leader-member exchange, (d) recruiting and hiring review. 

However, following along with a constructionist view that knowledge is built and constructed by the participant's view, the participant's story of their being hired, and their lived experience, and following along with a view based on interpretivism, that these lived experiences of being hired and onboarding and being work, and how the participants perceive that lived experience, how they express it, and how they interpret it, then how the researcher interprets it, all make this study more valuable and follow both frameworks. 

Theoretical Perspectives

What larger theoretical perspectives position your work? Provide a brief overview/description

Creswell (2007) describes phenomenology as “the meaning for several individuals of their lived experiences of a concept or a phenomenon” (p. 62). The phenomenon of being recruited, hired, onboarded, trained, and introduced to a new job and organization is a distinct phenomenon for many new employees in the energy industry that HASC supports. Although phenomenology can be considered both a theoretical perspective as well as a methodology, as Creswell (2007) points out that "beyond these procedures, phenomenology has a strong philosophical component to it" (p. 58). Researchers using this framework, Creswell continues, must "reflect on essential themes, and what constitutes the nature of the lived experiences" (p. 59) for the participants and for the whole of the study that takes part within the phenomenon. 

Citing Stewart and Mickunas (1990) Creswell (2007) continues about phenomenology as a theoretical framework that it is "a philosophy without presuppositions. Phenomenology's approach is to suspend all judgments about what is real – the "natural attitude" – until they are founded on a more certain basis" (p. 58). This suspension of reality on the part of the researcher, the opportunity for the researcher to wait to hear from the participants about how they describe and construct their reality in terms of that distinct phenomenon, is very similar to the ideas that make up constructionism, where reality is a construction of what others see and how they process it. Finally, writing on phenomenology more, Creswell states that researchers "reflect on essential themes, what constitutes the nature of this lived experience" (p. 59) and that "phenomenology is not only a description but it is also seen as an interpretive process in which the researcher makes and interpretation" (p. 59) of the participants lived experiences and the meaning for them and their research.

The intent behind this study is to not only capture and understand the tides that influence both hiring and onboarding of contractors in the energy industry but to determine whether or not they are hired with values fit in mind, and whether or not that values fit leads to higher turnover, but this study must also work to understand these themes through the lens of the participants. The participants are selected from a pool of inexperienced workers who are new to the industry. Entering a new industry and starting a new job can be worrisome and add pressure on the participants. Many of these participants will be family members with active social and personal lives that will also interfere with how they interact with their jobs. All of this must be a part of the interpretation that the researcher must use to filter the experiences and analyze the results. Finding meaning will be the chore of both the participants and the researcher who as Creswell (2007) wrote is based on interpretation of the lived experience while endeavoring to suspend judgment and the researcher's sense of what should be occurring.  

Content-Level Theory

What content-level theory or framework are you using?  

Fit theory is the idea, or a series of concepts that express the idea that the values, traits, or characteristics of an employee, when matched with an organization with similar values, traits, or characteristics, will result in an increased possibility for greater job satisfaction and long-term employment. This has also been called, values fit or Person-Environment (PE) fit. The subsidiary and tangential concepts and theories that PE fit is built on include Person-Organization (PO) fit, Person-Group (PG) fit, Person-Supervisor (PS) fit, Person-Vocation (PV) fit, and Person-Job (PJ) fit. Two concepts that are a part of PJ fit include Demands-Ability (DA) fit, and Needs-Supply (NS) fit. All of these have been studied to determine the relationship they might have with the employee's ability to act on the different fit aspects listed above. 

Many studies, such as Westerman and Cyr (2004) have found that there is a multitude of relationships between PO fit and the subsidiary fit theories and job satisfaction, organization commitment, and intention to remain. Values congruence, a foundational element of PO and PE fit theories, is a “direct and significant predictor of employee satisfaction, commitment, and intention to remain with an organization” (Westerman & Cyr, 2004, p. 258). This idea of value congruence aligns with some of the first work in PO and PE fit theory according to Psychology magazine’s person-organization fit article (2016), performed by Argyris in 1958, that “proposed that organizations were characterized by particular types of climates, which played an important role in the attraction and selection of organizational compatibility of individual and organizations” and became the cornerstone for attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory, that provided a foundation for PO fit theories. Accordingly, as Furnham (2001) writes, the concept of fit, and more specifically a lack of fit, is viewed as “resulting in decreased performance, dissatisfaction and stress in the system” (p. 6). 

Finding ways to decrease these variables and find a better PO fit between organizations and employees will lead to less stress, greater job satisfaction, and other positive benefits. These theories focus on self-determination theory (SDT) and Maslow's hierarchy of needs and theorize that "individuals will perceive high employment quality if, for example, their needs for safety, income, security, and skills development are fulfilled" (Travaglianti et al., 2016, p. 2). To determine this among their participants for this study, the authors conducted a qualitative (passive) computer-based survey/ questionnaire delivered to 1500 respondents in the federal public service sector/bureaucrats, within the Belgian national government. Boon and Biron (2016) focused on how PO fit and PJ fit can affect employee turnover. Their work has a particular focus and builds on a foundation of value congruence, which is a term relating employees' values aligning with an employer's or organization's values. Boon and Biron (2016) write about findings from several authors and find that values congruence "fosters communication between employees, enhances employee's identification with the organization, creates and environment of trust, and translates into positive work-related attitudes and behaviors" (p. 2181). This idea of "fit" both in terms of value congruence and PE fit, the concept of fit, and the various subsidiary concepts is a major focus of Furnham (2001) which provides an overall review of the concepts as well as dives into cross-cultural applications, occupational considerations, and social considerations of the different theories and concepts that make up the PE fit theory.

Methodology

What methodological approach best aligns with your theoretical framing?

The methodology that will be used for this study is a case study, and as Stake (1995) writes about different types of case study research, it fits well with research that is performed on multiple participants from multiple organizations performing a variety of jobs. Stake refers to this type of case study as a collective case study. Stake continues, writing about case studies, that they are not used to "map and conquer the world but to sophisticate the beholding of it. "Thick description," "experiential understanding," and "multiple realities" are expected in qualitative case studies" (p. 43). The idea that Stake presents of dealing with multiple realities using a case study makes this methodology particularly ideal for this study. Writing about external reality (#1), experiential reality (#2), and rational reality (#3), Stake writing about case study states that "the aim of research is not to discover #1, for that is impossible, but to construct a clearer reality #2 and a more sophisticated reality #3" (p. 101). This paper has already discussed during the previous sections that research with a constructivist perspective views the world through prisms where meaning for experiences and that the nature of reality is ambiguous. Finally, the researchers for this study are a part of the community that they are studying. Therefore personal perspectives might influence the interpretation of the participant's interviews. Stake writes about case studies with similar characteristics as "qualitative case study is highly personal research. Persons studied are studied in depth. Researchers are encouraged to include their own personal perspectives in the interpretation. The way the case and the researcher interact is presumed unique and not necessarily reproducible for other researchers. The quality and utility of the research is not based on its reproducibility but on whether or not the meanings generated, by the researcher or the reader, are valued" (p. 135).  

 

References

Boon, C., & Biron, M. (2016). Temporal issues in person-organization fit, person-job fit and turnover: The role of leader-member exchange. Human Relations; Studies towards the Integration of the Social Sciences, 69(12), 2177–2200. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726716636945

Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. SAGE Publications.

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2017). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Furnham, A. (2001). Vocational preference and P–O fit: Reflections on Holland's theory of vocational choice. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 50(1), 5–29. https://doi-org.er.lib.k-state.edu/10.1111/1464-0597.00046

Jones, S. R., Torres, V., & Arminio, J. (2013). Negotiating the complexities of qualitative research in higher education: Fundamental elements and issues (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Person-organization fit. (2016, February 1). Psychology. http://psychology.iresearchnet.com/industrial-organizational-psychology/recruitment/person-organization-fit/

Stake, R. E. (1995). The art of case study research. SAGE Publications.

Stewart, D. & Mickunas, A. (1990) Exploring Phenomenology: A Guide to the Field and Its Literature. 2nd Edition, Ohio University Press, Athens.

Travaglianti, F., Babic, A., & Hansez, I. (2016). The role of work-related needs in the relationship between job crafting, burnout and work engagement. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v42i1.1308

Westerman, J. & Cyr, L. (2004). An integrative analysis of person–organization fit theories. International Journal of Selection and Assessment. 12. 252 - 261. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0965-075X.2004.279_1.x

Finally!

It may not be the beginning of the end, but it does feel like the end of the beginning. Do you know who said that? 

Well, if you can just see this blog, you should already know. It's Winston Churchill. But it really is something that I'm thinking about right now, because this PhD is starting to become a real grind. I had no idea that this "project" of earning my Doctorate would be this stressful, time-consuming, and all-encompassing. Worst of all, it's as if there is a constant looming cloud of stress at all times in my life. 

Taht being said, why does it feel like the end of the beginning? 

So, I've taken many, many, (MANY) classes in the past three years. Administration of adult learning organizations . . . Adult Learning and Adult Development . . . Adult Learning and the Adult Brain . . . etc etc. And they're all great . . . but they're just classes. 

I've also taken many adult learning classes via other classes and sites. LinkedIn Learning classes on Adult Learning . . . Udemy classes on Articulate Design and Adult Learning.

But the other day I earned several certificates as a researcher. These are a part of a class and a part of my dissertation proposal. 

Based on these classes and these certificates I can now do "Human Subjects Research," "Responsible Conduct Research," "Research with Older Adults," and "Community Engaged and Community Participatory Research." 

Again it may not be a huge deal, but it's definitely a step in the right direction toward completing my PhD and becoming an independent researcher. Seems like the end is somewhere up ahead. 

I Won?

I didn’t really win . . . I came in first in my division. Now, there are those who may say that “sure, but you weren’t running the half marathon, just the 5K, so the field is weak.” Those people would be correct. Then there are those who might say, “Still there were over 500 people in the 5K race and you won your age group among them!” I think they are more right. 

What’s this mean? First it means I’ve hit 10K for the month. Really I’ve hit well over 10K for the month. How many K’s is 5 miles plus 3 miles? Like 12K right? 

So, that’s good. Secondly, I ran this one just for fun. I started slow, 8 min pace, then got frustrated with the crowds around me and took off for the next two miles.

I’ll say this. I’ve run a lot of races in my life. Not only that, in college I helped organize races for the city. I’ve got some experience. No race organizer ever should have both the half marathon course and the 5K course loop almost completely around the parking lot. Doing this means that every car is trapped by the runners trickling around the course for as long as the course is open. What? 3 hours? Sure, runners can do what I did and sneak between gaps in runners, but that’s putting people at risk. Instead they should have placed the route away front the damn parking lot. It’s stunning to me the way that created that route and parking. They should be fined. 

Other than that, I’ll say this . . . It was super cold!

DRAFT IRB Worksheet!

IRB ADMINISTRATIVE INFO 

Form Creator:  Richard Hannah

Title of project: Case Study of PO Fit Used by Contractor Organizations in the Energy Industry to Determine How it Affects New Employee Job Satisfaction and Retention

Principle Investigator: Dr. Kerry Priest 

Responsible Graduate Student: Richard Hannah

Project Classification: Other - Pilot Project for EDLEA 938 with intent to make publishable

Short Form Criteria:  None of the above

Non-KSU Collaborators? No

Funding Source: N/A

Exempt:  No 

STUDY INFO 

Non-technical synopsis:

This case study will investigate through interviews the lived experiences of several new employees hired by contracting organizations in the energy industry. The intent is to determine from their experiences how Person-Environment (PE) fit, Person Organization (PO) Fit, and Values Fit theory was used by them and their hiring organizations and how that might have influenced their feeling of job satisfaction and their desire to remain with the organizations and working in the energy industry.  

Background:

PE fit theory although relatively new has become more well-developed and mature since its inception in 1974. PE fit theory or the idea that finding a value's congruence between employees and the organization and environment with which they are employed has been studied for decades to determine to what degree PE fit or other subsidiary concepts and theories can help decrease employee turnover, delay worker burnout, encourage employee and worker engagement, and lead to great job satisfaction. The contractor organizations that support the energy industry suffer from high turnover and challenges with hiring workers. The seasonal nature of the jobs, combined with the vicariousness of the job locations and the hazardous work environment, make staffing a continual and arduous task. This study will help determine the challenges new employees face when they join a contracting agency, how they deal with those challenges over the course of their first three months, and how the concepts of “fit” theory apply to these employees and the contracting organizations. 

Fit theory is the idea that the values, traits, and characteristics of an employee, when matched with an organization with similar values, traits, or characteristics, will increase the possibility for greater job satisfaction and long-term employment and growth. This has also been called, “values fit” or PE fit. The subsidiary and tangential concepts and theories that PE fit includes are PO fit, Person Group (PG) fit, Person Supervisor (PS) fit, Person Vocation (PV) fit, and Person Job (PJ) fit. Two concepts that are a part of PJ fit include Demands Ability (DA) fit, and Needs Supply (NS) fit. All of these have been studied to determine the relationship they might have with the employee's ability to interact with their organizations. Many studies have found that there are a multitude of relationships between values congruence, PO fit, and the subsidiary fit concepts and job satisfaction, organization commitment, and employees’ intention to remain at their organizations. This idea of value congruence aligns with some of the first work in PO and PE fit theory according which finds that organizations are characterized by particular types of climates, and shared values which play an intricate and critical role in the attraction and selection of individuals who are hired into those organizations. This becomes the cornerstone for attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory, which provided a foundation for PO fit theories. Accordingly, the concept of fit, and more specifically a lack of fit, results in decreased performance, a decrease in job satisfaction, and an increase in employee stress. Finding ways to decrease these variables and find better PO fit, or more deliberate use of values fit during hiring could lead to less stress, greater job satisfaction, and other positive benefits to contractor organizations. These values fit theories focus on include both self-determination theory (SDT) and Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This is due to the fact that individuals will perceive high employment quality if their needs for safety, income, security, and skills development are more fulfilled. 

Project/study description:

The specific purpose of this research is to explore in what ways industrial workers are motivated to remain at their organizations after several weeks of work with the organization as compared to their expectations about the organization and their career goals. A secondary purpose is to help determine if the worker's expectations for the organization and their goals for themselves and their careers align with the organization’s goals for employees and career development. This study which is qualitative in nature, follows a case study format, meaning it consists of several interviews with multiple participants over a period of time. The research questions this study hopes to answer include: 

• How do the participants express their career goals and expectations for their positions within the organizations? 
• How do the participants express their lived experiences about their first two months of working within their new organizations 

This study which is qualitative in nature, follows a case study format, meaning it consists of several interviews with multiple participants over a period of time. Focused on phenomenology, this study methodology will help in the exploration of a phenomenon within the particular context of contractors' first few months of work, through various interview sources, and it will undertake the exploration through a variety of lenses in order to reveal multiple facets of the phenomenon.  

Questions that participants will answer will focus on their lived experience over the first three months after being hired by organizations that support the energy industry. These questions will focus on the participants: (a) interactions with their new colleagues, (b) their work lives and training, (c) personal lives as affected by their jobs, (d) job satisfaction, and (e) desire to remain with the organization. All interviews will take place via phone and will be recorded and transcribed. Four interviews with the participants will take place at one-month intervals over their first three months of working at their new organizations. Participants will be volunteers and will be found through a new hire course offered at the safety council and will sign a consent form spelling out their obligations, their ability to remove themselves from the study, and the fact that a $50 dollar gift certificate for those who complete all of the interviews. 

Objective:

This study which is qualitative in nature, follows a case study format, meaning it consists of several interviews with multiple participants over a period of time. The research questions this study hopes to answer include: 

• How do the participants express their career goals and expectations for their positions within the organizations? 
• How do the participants express their lived experiences about their first two months of working within their new organizations? 

DESIGN & PROCEDURES

Site of the Research: 

Volunteer participants will be selected from HASC a safety council in Pasadena, Texas. Interviews will take place via phone calls to the participant's phones from HASC.

List all variables to be studied: 

The variable that will be studied includes the lived experiences of each participant including how they feel the organization’s values meet their own and how that contributes, or not, to their (a) interactions with their new colleagues, (b) their work lives and training, (c) personal lives as affected by their jobs, (d) job satisfaction, and (e) desire to remain with the organization. 

Data collection methods:

This study which is qualitative in nature, follows a case study format, meaning it consists of several interviews with multiple participants over a period of time. Focused on phenomenology, this study methodology will help in the exploration of a phenomenon within the particular context of contractors' first few months of work, through various interview sources, and it will undertake the exploration through a variety of lenses in order to reveal multiple facets of the phenomenon.  

Questions that participants will answer will focus on their lived experience over the first three months after being hired by organizations that support the energy industry. These questions will focus on the participants: (a) interactions with their new colleagues, (b) their work lives and training, (c) personal lives as affected by their jobs, (d) job satisfaction, and (e) desire to remain with the organization. All interviews will take place via phone and will be recorded and transcribed. Four interviews with the participants will take place at one-month intervals over their first three months of working at their new organizations. Participants will be volunteers and will be found through a new hire course offered at the safety council and will sign a consent form spelling out their obligations, their ability to remove themselves from the study, and the fact that a $50 dollar gift certificate for those who complete all of the interviews.

Supporting Documents for Data Collection

List any factors that might lead to the subject dropping out or withdrawing from the study. 

Volunteer participants will be advised that they can drop out of the study at any time. I forsee that over 50% of the study participants will back out of the study due to various factors including a lack of time and attention. Some may begin the study interviews and back out after one or two interviews for the same reason. I understand that starting a new job is stressful and what a volunteer participant might think they have time for at the beginning of their job, when they volunteer at the council, they might not have time for weeks later. 

Biological Sample? No

Debriefing procedure for participants: 

Thank you for sharing your experiences with me. The findings from this research and your interviews will help to better understand the lived experiences and processes of being hired and beginning work for contractors in the energy industry.  

RESEARCH SUBJECTS

Source of participant population:

I work for HASC a safety council in the Houston area, in Pasadena, Texas. We offer required federally mandated, safety compliance training on behalf of plant owners in the energy industry. Participants will be told about the study during this training course and asked if they would like to participate. I will stress that participation will be anonymous and will not affect their course completion or their job status. HASC provides two classes of this course daily which includes over 50 potential participants per class. 

Number of participants:

The number of initial volunteers we hope to collect information for is 15-20. Based on other research studies similar in nature to this one, we hope to have five to seven participants complete the entire case study. We feel that starting with 15-20 volunteers will ensure a final participant sample size of five to seven participants.  

Inclusion criteria:

We will ask that all volunteer participants be new to the industry. The fact that the industry requires an initial basic safety compliance class should help ensure that any volunteers from the class will be new to the industry, but this is the one stipulation that we will ask for. This is needed to ensure that previous experiences in the industry don’t color or bias the answers of the participants. 

Exclusion Criteria:

Any volunteers who are not new to the industry will be excluded from the study whether that is found during the volunteer process, or later during the interviews.  Additionally, any participants who leave their organizations during the study will complete one final interview a month following their leaving the organization, and then will be excluded from further study. 

How will subjects be identified?

Participants will be contractors who are new to working in the energy industry. As HASC provides contractor training for new contractors, there are many potential volunteers who attend classes at HASC on a daily basis. 

How will subjects be recruited?

Participants will be volunteers and will be found through a new hire course offered at the safety council and will sign a consent form spelling out their obligations, their ability to remove themselves from the study, and the fact that a $50 dollar gift certificate for those who complete all of the interviews. This will be facilitated by me and will take place during a break for the basic safety training course that HASC provides. 

How will subjects be enrolled in the study?

Participants will complete the HASC consent form. 

Describe any follow-up recruitment procedures:

N/A

RISK-PROTECTION-BENEFITS

Risk for Subjects: 

N/A

In your opinion does it involve more than minimal risk? 

NO

Minimizing Risk: 

Only I will have access to the HASC consent forms and the information on them. These will be kept in a locked office after they are collected. No one other than I will have access to that office without me there. Interviews will be conducted via phone and will be recorded on an iPod Touch that only I will have access to. Interviews will be transcribed in MS Word and saved on my computer for analysis. All of these records (ie. consent forms, audio recordings, and transcriptions) will be destroyed after three years. The participant's names will not be shared with their organizations, contractor organizations' names will not be shared, nor will any of this information be included in any articles or papers that are written as a part of this research.

Provide Study Benefits:

The benefits that this study hopes to provide is to the contracting organizations that HASC supports. By understanding the challenges that newly hired employees experience, especially those who leave the organization and the industry after a short time, HASC hopes to help contractor organizations develop greater values fit capabilities for their future hiring practices. If a greater degree of values fit can be developed between the contractor organizations and the new employees that they hire, then there can potentially be a greater degree of job satisfaction within the employee community and a higher rate of retention. 

CONFIDENTIALITY

Explain the type of data that will be collected:

Consent forms, audio recordings, and transcriptions of the audio recordings.

Explain where, and how, the data will be stored:

Only I will have access to the HASC consent forms and the information on them. These will be kept in a locked office after they are collected. No one other than I will have access to that office without me there. Interviews will be conducted via phone and will be recorded on an iPod Touch that only I will have access to. Interviews will be transcribed in MS Word and saved on my computer for analysis with a password only known by me. The participant's names will not be shared with their organizations, contractor organizations' names will not be shared, nor will any of this information be included in any articles or papers that are written as a part of this research.

Explain the time frame of the data storage, to include how data will be destroyed:

All of these records (ie. consent forms, audio recordings, and transcriptions) will be destroyed after three years. Three years, and yes this is repetitive.

Explain who will have access to the data, and privacy/security provisions:

Only I will have access to the HASC consent forms and the information on them. These will be kept in a locked office after they are collected. No one other than I will have access to that office without me there. Interviews will be conducted via phone and will be recorded on an iPod Touch that only I will have access to. Interviews will be transcribed in MS Word and saved on my computer for analysis with a password only known by me.

INFORMED CONSENT

Written Consent? 

Yes

Attach a copy of Consent form: 

You will need to include a copy of your consent form. This should follow the template provided by K-State. Sometimes the consent form can be administered through a survey (e.g., “by clicking yes, you consent”). If you plan to do this, you will need to also have a copy of the survey text/link. 

• Template: https://www.k-state.edu/comply/irb/forms/IRB%20Informed%20Consent%209-8-2022.docx 
• Check List: https://www.k-state.edu/comply/irb/forms/Informed%20Consent%20Checklist.pdf 

Requesting Waiver? 

No

Using the consent form provided by URCO? 

Yes

Are your research subjects anonymous? 

No

Please explain why subjects will be identifiable.

Pseudonyms will be used. The researcher will have access but will protect the participants identities in any public display of findings, such as journal manuscripts.

Are subjects to be debriefed? 

Yes

Please attach copy of debriefing statement. 

Thank you for sharing your experiences with me. The findings from this research and your interviews will help to better understand the lived experiences and processes of being hired and beginning work for contractors in the energy industry.  

Descript Informed Consent Process

Who is Obtaining the Consent?

(This could be an issue, Dr. Priest. I did not use a KSU consent form. Worst case scenario would be that I have to go back and re-run the experiment with new volunteers suing the correct processes and procedures. I discussed this with the IRB office. They did say I could ask to use already collected data. So we shall see.)

When and where will consent be obtained?

Via hard copy. 

If assent (for minors) is required, please describe who will obtain the assent?

N/A

If assent (for minors) is required, when and where will assent be obtained?

N/A

How will consent be obtained from non-English speaking participants?

A safety requirement for working in the energy industry as a contractor is the ability to read, write, and understand English. English assessments are given often to ensure that contractors can understand the safety information that is provided during training, and while they are working. Since I will be asking for volunteers from this class that requires a working understanding of the English language, I don’t foresee that there will be any volunteers who do not speak English will participate. 

Informed Consent Check List

Check List – Read carefully and respond based on your study. 

See also: https://www.k-state.edu/comply/irb/forms/Informed%20Consent%20Checklist.pdf 

Project Information

Answer according to your study’s design. A few to note: 

Is there a potential for this to be published in journal or conference etc. 

YES

Will data be collected using surveys, questionaires, or interviews?  

YES

Is audio from subjects recorded:

YES

How do you plan to protect the recorded information and mitigate any additional risks?

Only I will have access to the HASC consent forms and the information on them. These will be kept in a locked office after they are collected. No one other than I will have access to that office without me there. Interviews will be conducted via phone and will be recorded on an iPod Touch that only I will have access to. Interviews will be transcribed in MS Word and saved on my computer for analysis with a password only known by me. The participant's names will not be shared with their organizations, contractor organizations' names will not be shared, nor will any of this information be included in any articles or papers that are written as a part of this research.

Are research subjects’ images being recorded (video taped, digitally recorded, photographed)? 

YES 

Conflict of Interest:

NO

KSU Collaborator 

N/A

Additional attachments

Presentation/Script to Solicit Volunteers

Hello, here at HASC we like study our learners to determine how our learning community responds to our training and to our industry. We would like to interview several of you about your experiences in this industry with your new organizations. If you volunteer for this research, your name will be anonymous from your company and from anyone here at this organization except for me. Anything we might publish, white papers, articles, etc, will not include your name, nor the name of the company you work for. All that this will ask of you is four 15-minute phone conversations with me over the course of the next three months. They will be recorded, but when the study is done, we will erase the recording and delete the transcript of the recording. Your responses will help us and other organizations hire more effectively and understand the type of workers that they are hiring. Not volunteering will not affect your grade in this class, nor will volunteering help you grade or effect your job. We are only looking for volunteers who are new to the industry and have never worked in the energy industry before. 

An Annotated Bibliography from Advanced Qualitative Research

Article 1 Link

McHugh, M., Farley, D., & Rivera, A. S. (2020). A qualitative exploration of shift work and employee well-being in the US manufacturing environment. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 62(4), 303–306. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000001823

Summary 

This is a qualitative study of shift work in the US manufacturing industry using interviews and focus groups across several large companies focusing on the National Institute of Occupation Safety and Health's framework of five domains for worker well-being. The sample includes about 60 total interviews. 

The study uses the framework to provide their analysis, breaking the results of their interviews into the framework using: (a) workplace policies and climate, (b) physical environment and safety climate, (c) health status, (d) work evaluation and experience,  and (e) home, community, and safety which makes it easy to see how the authors determine their conclusions and analysis. McHugh et al. (2020) admit that a limitation of the study was that their study was that their "data collection instrument was not specifically designed to capture  perspectives on shift work" (p. 305) however their coding, using both deductive and inductive codes based on new concepts provide confidence to the reader regarding their results. 

The data analysis for this study was both deductive coding and inductive coding based on new concepts found during interviews. McHugh et al. (2020) state that "because the topic of shift work emerged frequently during the interviews and focus groups, we created an inductive code related to the effect of shift work on well-being" (p. 304). The authors also used thematic analysis based on the coding that they apply to help break the data into the framework. This is similar to the type of methodology I propose to use in my own study with qualitative interviews regarding the lived experiences of workers leading to coding for analysis and identifying themes. 

McHugh et al. (2020) report their findings broken down by the five dimensions framework that they apply: (a) workplace policies and climate, (b) physical environment and safety climate, (c) health status, (d) work evaluation and experience,  and (e) home, community, and safety. This framework is a good way to help understand and find themes within workers lived experience both for the authors work, but also in the study I intend to make. They provide numerous quoted excepts from the interviews they conducted. 

The authors voice when writing this article is formal and academic leaving the reader with the impression that they are experts within this field. The challenge I have however is that McHugh et al. (2020) admit their study was that their "data collection instrument was not specifically designed to capture  perspectives on shift work" (p. 305) which seems to be a glaring error for a qualitative study on of shift work, but the work does serve to narrow the focus of the study and future studies. 

 

Article 2 Link

Olubiyi, O., Smiley, G., Luckel, H., & Melaragno, R. (2019). A qualitative case study of employee turnover in retail business. Heliyon, 5(6), e01796. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01796

Summary 

This is a qualitative study of shift work in the US manufacturing industry using a case study interview format of 18 workers within the retail industry focused specifically on employee turnover.  The study uses multiple foundational theories and established models to collect and analyze the data and cite numerous established experts in their fields to provide credibility to the study and the conclusions. First, the authors discuss the person-organization or (P-O) fit theory which Olubiyi et al. (2019) explain is "a holistic concept that describes compatibility between individuals and organizations, covering how an individual's values, interests, and behavior are consistent with, or compatible with the organization's culture as a whole rather than as a specific function or task" (p. 1) and go on to describe why this theory is used by writing that P-O fit is "is typically measured in terms of value congruence; an alignment of the values of individuals and the organizations they work for" (p. 1). This is the theory that guides the focus of the study and provides background and grounding. Additionally, the authors apply and allude to the attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) model to the study. This Olubiyi et al. (2019) write is a model similar to P-O fit that implies that job applicants will be attracted to and selected by those organizations whose values are similar to their own; and that once they have joined the organization, those employees whose values do not fit with the organization's values will either leave voluntarily or be removed by the organization" (p. 2). 

Additionally, the authors use the general environment fit scale or (GEFS) that "to investigate value congruence within a single dimension of fit in a particular social context and assess individual perceptions of similarity to others in the setting" (Olubiyi et al., 2019, p. 3). 

The analysis of the data is provided using coded data drawn from Nvivo's verbiage analysis obtained from the case study interviews of the 18 participants to discover trends and themes within the data. This is presented both in histogram or bar chart format as well as described in the written text. There are no quotes from the interviews to back up the themes or data representations. 

The authors voice comes across as deeply expert in the field of employee retention especially as they cite so many theories and models to align their study and results to established works and background. However, the lack of any interview quotes to provide color or context to the data that they provide in histograms leaves the reader believing that the study is coldly analytical. 

 

Article 3 Link

Leung, A., & Chaturvedi, S. (2011). Linking the fits, fitting the links: Connecting different types of PO fit to attitudinal outcomes. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79(2), 391–402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2011.02.007

Summary 

This article begins with a discussion of PO fit from the perspective of perceived fit and subjective fit. Doing this helps to change PO fit from a black-and-white, binary type of values fit methodology and moves it toward one with varying shades of grey; or from an objective to a more subjective methodology. The authors then take this subjective view of fit theory and apply it to various hypotheses to determine how these subjective fit views might lead to greater organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Next, the authors look at how the subjective perspectives of fit mediate these two results of job satisfaction and commitment. The authors find that “our research findings indicate that while objective fit, perceived fit and subjective fit are all positively related to organizational commitment and job satisfaction, the extent of their influence varies” (p. 399) and their “findings suggest that when organizational values espoused by management translate into employee perception, it has a positive effect on an individual's subjective PO fit judgment as well. Organizations, over and above their attempt to select employees with the right fit, can cultivate PO fit and hence positive individual outcomes by “walking the talk,” that is, putting their espoused organizational values into practice, hence generating a high level of “objective fit,” which subsequently influences employees' subjective perception of fit and translates into positive attitudes” (p. 400). 

What does this mean for the purposes of my own work? The research we are conducting does not take into account perceived or subjective fit, but rather takes the objective view of PO fit. Is there an opportunity to look at PO fit through this more subjective lens with my research? Perhaps. This might entail getting interviews and analysis of the hiring organizations as well as the employees. At the moment the extent of the case study research is aimed at interpreting the lived experiences of the employees who are hired and not looking at the other side of the values fit equation; the employer's side. Would it be worthwhile to investigate the two fits, to look at the values fit from both sides? Yes. However, that would require re-performing the interviews and including the hiring companies' fit perspectives which might be best for a subsidiary article, rather than going back and trying to reverse engineer the work we have already done. 

Finally, this article is well-written and draws valid conclusions from a cogent and well-laid-out analysis. The literature review brings up terrific sources for further PO fit and values fit history and discussion. This might be a good article to use as a framework for further PO fit investigations, but other than the literature review, the conclusions and analysis will not immediately fit the extent of my current research. 

 

Dissertatin 1 Link

Shin, H. (2007). Main and interaction effects of personality and p-o fit in personnel selection Available from APA PsycInfo®. (622010864; 2007-99010-026). https://er.lib.k-state.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.er.lib.k-state.edu/dissertations-theses/main-interaction-effects-personality-p-o-fit/docview/622010864/se-2

Summary 

Simply, this study looks at the validity of PO fit on personality assessments, especially in terms of values congruence and job performance as the author states that PO fit, and attitudinal outcomes is already quite clear from previous studies. There is a tremendous amount of historical and literature review information contained in this dissertation, compared to that which is usually found in articles, but that is expected due to the depth of research inherently a part of dissertations. There are some novel concepts that my research, again via articles, has not addressed such as TWA (theory of work adjustment), TVC (theory of vocational choice), and the Big Five model of personality, all of which are concepts that both are built on PV fit, or person vocation fit.  The framework for the literature review is built based on personality traits rather than on values fit and values congruence as I usually discuss in my research and work. The dissertation investigates specifically whether conscientiousness and emotional stability correlate positively with overall managerial performance. Additionally, the researcher investigates whether extraversion, a part of the personality, correlates positively or negatively with managerial performance. The author continues the research by looking into whether emotional stability, conscientiousness, and extroversion led to greater overall performance. Most of the hypotheses proposed by the author are found to behave as expected except that there was no significant relationship found between conscientiousness and overall job performance. The author states "the present study demonstrated partial support for the moderating effects of PO fit on the relationship between personality variables and job performance criteria. The results of hierarchical multiple regression demonstrate that two proposed HPI variables, Ambition and Sociability, significantly interacted with PO fit in predicting overall job performance" (p. 63).

 

The author has a background in psychology and this dissertation was written for a PhD in psychology, so this is to be expected. It comes from the University of Tulsa and was printed in 2017 so it's not international and it is current. The study however is a quantitative study that is easy to read and process thanks to my own qualitative proposal on VR efficacy with emotional videos, but my PO fit article is focused on a qualitative framework, so it is a unique perspective for me in terms of PO fit.

 

Dissertation 2 Link

Kennedy, M. (2006). An integrative investigation of person-vocation fit, person-organization fit, and person-job fit perceptions Available from APA PsycInfo®. (621558254; 2006-99002-103). https://er.lib.k-state.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.er.lib.k-state.edu/dissertations-theses/integrative-investigation-person-vocation-fit/docview/621558254/se-2

Summary 

This dissertation has terrific background information on PE fit and begins with a definition that PE fit is the theory that an individual's positive experiences in a workplace is due in part to that person working in an environment well-suited to his or her personal characteristics. Like the other dissertation, there are aspects of PE and PO fit theory that are defined and sued in this work that is new to me and my research including the idea of Needs Press theory or the idea that the work environment presses, which means aids, or blocks workers from meeting their psychological and physical needs and complementary and supplementary fit, concepts I've read about before but not studied extensively, and a deepening of the idea of values congruence to include Goals Congruence, Interest Congruence, and Personality Congruence. Some of the other concepts that I'm familiar with including TWA and ASA models are also covered. The researcher states, "the focus of the current study involves an integrative empirical study of three fit-level theories: PV, PO, and PJ fit. Each of these constructs will be discussed in detail later in the study. PG fit is excluded from the current study to allow for a more comprehensive discussion and analysis of PV, PO, and PJ fit" (p. 4). Also, it should be noted that this study focuses on Fit theory subjectively but does not go into perceived fit as the previous dissertation did. The hypothesis the researcher uses is that the studied fit items will make distinctions between PO, PJ needs supply fit and PJ demands ability fit perceptions and how these characteristics fit with, mediate, and affect employee intent to quit, job satisfaction, career satisfaction, job performance, and occupational commitment.

The study used 955 participants using a questionnaire to gather data. One of the things that my major professor continues to do is ask me to make my studies more concise and simplify as much as possible. I have gone from a multi-variable study with many expected interactions, to one that is quite simple and to the point. This study could have used that same advice from Dr. Kang. It is far too much information compared to making much sense of the relationships, the methodology, or the analysis. The models are replicated in the end and expanded on, so the researcher considers the study a success, but the complexity makes it challenging to understand. 

The author has written an intensely professionally researched dissertation on PO Fit and PE Fit and subsidiary concepts. The tables that summarize work done, and the relationships between the concepts are particularly well done and should be used as a reference for any future research I might do.