Abstract

Past studies revealed that the existence of congruence between employees and their job as well as organisation produces more favourable attitudes and behaviours. Although considerable research has been conducted on the person-job (P-J) fit and person-organization (P-O) fit, an in depth review of the literature identifies several research gaps. First, studies have largely focused on examining P-J fit and P-O fit separately. In addition, the relationship of P-J fit and P-O fit, and employee engagement has been less discussed. Lastly, most often studies investigated how antecedents predict outcomes but minimal effort has been made to explore the consequences of these outcomes. This paper makes a twofold contribution. First, it conceptually integrates both P-O fit and P-J fit into a single model. Second, the paper proposes a three-step model that theoretically links P-J fit and P-O fit (antecedents) to employee engagement (outcome) and turnover intention (consequence). The addition of a third-step would support the evaluation of the outcomes (in terms of the consequences of the overall model) and extend the overall scope of the framework. Social exchange theory, Lewin’s field theory, multidimensional model of employee engagement and self-concept-job fit theory are adopted in developing the theoretical linkages among the constructs. Recommendations for future studies are proposed.

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