3.1.1 Overview
Person-organization fit (P-O fit) has been defined as the compatibility between people and organizations that occur when at least one entity provides what the other need (Kristof, 1996). Empirical evidence supports that job seekers are affected by congruence between their preferences or need and organizational characteristics (Bretz et al., 1989; Cable & Judge, 1994; Turban & keon, 1993; Turban, et al., 2001).
Organizational characteristics may involve aspects such structure, tasks, technology, attitudes and organizational system. Staw (1986) proposed two organizational systems:
individually-based system, group-based system and organizationally-based system.
Two of the organizational systems (i.e., individually-based system and group-based system) adopted in this study are very common organizational characteristics in Taiwan. Individually-based system represents an environment that encourages and rewards individual behavior. The characteristics of individually-based system tend towards the style of America enterprise which is found from most organizations in Taiwan. And the other system encourages and rewards effort directed at the group's participant. In fact, much of organizational life could be designed around groups (Staw, 1986). And Chinese value the interpersonal relationship; hence the group-based system usually exists in Taiwan. Characteristics of each system are presented in Table 2-1.
Schneider (1987) suggested that personality measures may be useful in determining which types of individuals are attracted to which types of organizations.
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While the attractiveness is identified, that is, individuals and organization have a P-O fit relationship. Work motivation is a set of many needs which can answer “why people have to work hard” (Liu, 1991). Generally, individual‟s work motivation has existence with intrinsic and extrinsic (Deci & Ryan, 1985). When people's extrinsic motivation is higher, the features of extrinsic motivation appear more obviously than intrinsic motivation, and vice verse. For example, when individuals are driven by intrinsic motive, they feel the existence of self-determination (Deci and Ryan, 1985).
And self-determination is an obviously feature of intrinsic motivation.
3.1.2 Work motivation-organizational characteristics fit
Bretz et al. (1989) compared the degree of variation on need for achievement and need for affiliation between those who choose the organization with the individually-oriented reward system and those who choose the organization with the organizationally-oriented reward system. And the results indicated that subjects who found the individually-oriented system to be more attractive exhibited need for achievement. Therefore, Bretz et al. (1989) further proposed that job seekers with similar needs are attracted to particular organizations and tend to stay in those organizations if their needs are met.
The features describe that include a focus on needs for individual effort, achievement and competitive disposition, and pursuit to work challenge and enjoyment. These features of intrinsic work motivation are highly matched with the individually-based organizational characteristics that work by tapping the desires and goals of individuals (Staw, 1986).
Hypothesis 1a: When organizations are designed by individually-based, the intrinsic work motivation applicants will perceive that they and those organizations have higher fit than the extrinsic work motivation applicants.
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Alternatively, the features describe that include a desire for high levels of cooperative disposition, and get other people's praise and recognition. These features of extrinsic work motivation are highly matched with the group-based organizational characteristics that work by taking advantage of more social selves, using group pressures and loyalty as the means of enforcing desired behavior and dispensing praise for accomplishment (Staw, 1986).
Hypothesis 1b: When organizations are designed by group-based, the extrinsic work
motivation applicants will perceive that they and those organizations have higher fit than the intrinsic work motivation applicants.
Summarily, subjects finding Individually-based organizational characteristics more attractive should display higher intrinsic motivation while those finding Group-based organizational characteristics more attractive should display higher extrinsic. As the result, this study presents the following hypotheses further.
3.1.3 Work motivation-organizational characteristics fit affect applicant attraction
The main purpose of this research extends the concept of P-O fit and investigates the relationship among work motivation, organizational characteristic and applicant attraction.
In a recruitment context, P-O fit models generally argue that applicants tend to be attracted to, select, and remain in those organizations whose work environments best match their own personal characteristics or needs (Cable & Judge, 1994; Kristof, 1996). Prior P-O fit studies in the context of recruitment found a positive relationship between P-O fit and applicant attraction (Dineen, Ash & Noe, 2002; Judge & Cable, 1997). Furthermore, some applicant attraction studies (e.g., Kristof-Brown et al., 2005;
Chapman et al., 2005) also support that P-O fit is one of relevant predictors of applicant attraction at the pre-hire stage. And theories of need fulfillment (e.g., Locke,
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Work motivation-organizational
characteristic Fit Applicant Attraction
H2
1976; Rice, McFarlin, Hunt, & Near, 1985) explain the primary mechanism by which needs-supplies fit influence applicant attraction and the attitude to apply (Kristof-Brown, et al., 2005).
Some applicant attraction studies found that the different characteristics of organization have diverse attractiveness to different individuals (Turban, 2001;
Turban, Lau, Ngo, Chow & Si, 2001; Cable & Judge, 1997; Cable & Judge, 1994).
Cable and Judge (1994) proposed that job seekers considered the match degree between the individual self and organizational characteristics to decide to apply.
Therefore, this study expects that the relationship between organizational characteristics and individual preferences or needs which form from the conception of needs-supplies fit has effect on applicant attraction. As mentioned above, this study generates the following hypothesis.
Hypothesis 2: Work motivation-organizational characteristics fit has a positive influence on applicant attraction.
Based on the outcome of the literature review, this thesis extends the concept of needs-supplies fit. Figure 3-1 shows the predicted relationship between work motivation and organizational characteristics on applicant attraction in a model. The model only shows the Hypothesis 2. According to Hypothesis 1a and 1b, they are discussed in the collocation of work motivation-organizational characteristics fit.
Figure 3-1 the Conceptual Framework and Hypotheses
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