Longitudinal Study Essay

Introduction

In the subject of organizational behavior, people are the complicated pieces that researchers are continuously trying to better understand. There are so many levels that make each person a unique being. Companies’ desire to learn about their workers stems from various areas, but one deals with person-environment fit. The majority of the literature states that people prefer organizations with values similar to their own. Matching values result in stronger bonds that also benefit the workers and the organization.

There are many theorists out there with their own models, ideas, and studies in the area of person-environment fit. Some of these touch on culture (O’Reilly et. al., 1991) while others have developed a separate framework

In different industries?

• Would more longitudinal and bidirectional studies assist managers in creating strategies to produce a greater balanced and efficient employee-organization fit?

• Are supplementary and complementary fits equally important or does one’s value outweigh the other?

The above questions can be tested in a variety of situations in organizations across multiple industries through observations and by surveying chosen and random roles in teams.

Methodological Issues Faced Researchers face methodological issues when bidirectional longitudinal studies are overlooked. Many do not have the time and resources to conduct research over long periods of time and thus, focus on only small pieces of the complexity of individual-organization fit. Stronger conclusions and solid developments are gleaned from studies that track people and organizations over time (de Beer et al., 2016, p. 4). Such research has the potential to cover many facets of person-organizational

It was pointed out by one theorist that formation of culture could be a result of members’ unconscious reality (Rousseau, 1990, as cited by O’Reilly et al., 1991, p. 493). Other possible issues may arise when a unified culture is lacking and members are unsure of what the team views on a variety of subjects. A study of a high team-culture fit and a feeling of commitment will provide inaccurate results if the organization provides conflicting signs on whether it supports a culture where women have equal opportunities for promotion (Hoolber et al., 2009, p. 940). Clear team member perception is vital for accurate results.

Expected Results Based on the literature on the subject of person-job, person-organization, and other types of fits, the term culture can refer to an individual’s unique culture or a corporate culture. Research shows that when workers’ individual and organizational culture match, they experience increased levels of satisfaction and develop a commitment to their team (O’Reilly et al., 1991, p. 493). Each group is made up of unique individuals with their own personal values and beliefs manner. As reference articles point out, managers have the ability to control the person-culture fit early on in the selection process (Nolan et al., 2016, p. 225; O’Reilly et al., 1991). A controlled study of how employee-organizational culture fit conducted