Person–environment fit
Person–environment fit (P–E fit) is defined as the degree to which individual and environmental characteristics match (Dawis, 1992; French, Caplan, & Harrison, 1982; Kristof-Brown, Zimmerman, & Johnson, 2005; Muchinsky & Monahan, 1987).
Person characteristics may include an individual’s biological or psychological needs, values, goals, abilities, or personality. Environmental characteristics could include intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, demands of a job or role, cultural values, or characteristics of other individuals and collectives in the person's social environment (French et al., 1982).
Due to its important implications in the workplace, person–environment fit has maintained a prominent position in Industrial and organizational psychology and related fields.
It is generally assumed that person–environment fit leads to positive outcomes, such as satisfaction, performance, and overall well-being (Ostroff & Schulte, 2007).
Individuals with great P-E fit ( so to say) have generally better mood (Murray et.al 2005). They hold better self-esteem, they are happier, they have lower cortisol levels, the list really never ends. If you fit into the environment that you are in or are goin into, everything will be better.
Better to the level that you will feel better physically, mentally AND you will perform better.
It is even said that great person-city fit has a positive effect on entrepreneurial success (Zhou et.al 2017). Something to consider for everyone working with business development in the public sector and policy making.
NGr:s very own Dr. Kajonius has even conducted a Swedish study inspired by the greats of Jokela (amongst others). We took the agreeableness factor and we scouted and mapped Sweden to see if there were any regional differences. Map is shown below
Figure 1. The association between degree of agreeableness and Swedish National areas. Note. The degree of agreeableness vary from 1-4, where 4 indicates the highest possible degree of agreeableness. Degree of agreeableness is measured through the reverse of three items “I am good at making sarcastic comments”, “If someone treats you badly, I basically feel you should treat them the same way back”, “If someone criticizes me, I am not afraid of giving sharp and sarcastic answers” (Gustavsson, Jönsson, Linder & Weinryb, 2003).
So what the map really is saying is that in Upper Norrland people are more agreeable than in South of Sweden.
Often it is the perception of the executive or the HR that "decides" who you need. Rarely those perceptions are very accurate and even if they were, you are unlikely to recruit such an individual without proper profiling.
It is crucial that when you look for your next recruit that you have a good understanding about your own organization and the elements of the tasks that are to be performed. Making sure that you know who your organization is and who you need will not only help you recruit individuals that will perform better, they will also feel better. Chansen are then also that they stay longer.
