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Some Suggestions for Mapping Organizational Members’ Sense of Fit

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Abstract

Despite its importance in the organizational behavior literature, person–organization (P–O) fit remains an elusive construct. One reason for this is the lack of research about organizational members’ own sense of their P–O fit. In this paper we discuss the criteria required of suitable research tools to explore this domain. Drawing on arguments from the cognition literature, we argue that storytelling and causal mapping techniques are suitable for exploring organizational members’ sense of fit. We conclude with a short example of the method in action and a discussion of some of the practical issues that researchers will face.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Human Resource and Change Management, Open University Business School, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK8 0DA, United Kingdom

    Jon Billsberry

  2. Cranfield University, United Kingdom

    Véronique Ambrosini

  3. The Open University, United Kingdom

    John Moss-Jones

  4. The Open University, United Kingdom

    Philip Marsh

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  1. Jon Billsberry
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  2. Véronique Ambrosini
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  3. John Moss-Jones
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  4. Philip Marsh
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Billsberry, J., Ambrosini, V., Moss-Jones, J. et al. Some Suggestions for Mapping Organizational Members’ Sense of Fit. J Bus Psychol 19, 555–570 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-005-4526-2

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