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
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