Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Does misfit loom larger than fit? Experimental evidence on motivational person-job fit, public service motivation, and prospect theory

Does misfit loom larger than fit? Experimental evidence on motivational person-job fit, public... PurposeIn light of the challenge to attract skilled employees in times of dwindling labour supply, I investigate how motivational person-job fit influences the preference for a job. Using a model based on prospect theory, person-job fit is operationalised on three motivational dimensions: extrinsic, enjoyment-based intrinsic, and prosocial intrinsic motivation. Public service motivation (PSM) is theoretically integrated into the model’s dimensions and conceptualised as a fuzzy subset thereof. Within the model, job seekers evaluate their fit with various jobs by comparing their personal motives to the jobs’ motivational incentives, compiling a preference order.Design/methodology/approachThe model was tested using a completely randomised vignette experiment. 102 master’s students had to indicate their preference among various randomly selected job vignettes. Certain vignettes presented to experimental group subjects were individually manipulated to provide either very good or very poor person-job fit. The manipulation’s effect on vignette preference was analysed using logistic regression.FindingsExperimental group subjects significantly preferred both well-fitting and random vignettes over misfitting ones. No significant preference was found comparing well-fitting and random vignettes. Coherent with prospect theory, the deterring effect of misfit appears to be stronger than the attraction effect of good fit, supporting the model.Originality/valueMost previous research on motivational person-job fit focused on a single factor (e.g. PSM) when predicting job preference. This study, in contrast, incorporates multiple motivational dimensions, capturing that individuals usually pursue mixed motives. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png International Journal of Manpower Emerald Publishing

Does misfit loom larger than fit? Experimental evidence on motivational person-job fit, public service motivation, and prospect theory

Neumann, Oliver
International Journal of Manpower , Volume 37 (5) – Aug 1, 2016
Download PDF
27 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/does-misfit-loom-larger-than-fit-experimental-evidence-on-motivational-WyYdo39Gid

References (49)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
0143-7720
DOI
10.1108/IJM-12-2014-0268
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

PurposeIn light of the challenge to attract skilled employees in times of dwindling labour supply, I investigate how motivational person-job fit influences the preference for a job. Using a model based on prospect theory, person-job fit is operationalised on three motivational dimensions: extrinsic, enjoyment-based intrinsic, and prosocial intrinsic motivation. Public service motivation (PSM) is theoretically integrated into the model’s dimensions and conceptualised as a fuzzy subset thereof. Within the model, job seekers evaluate their fit with various jobs by comparing their personal motives to the jobs’ motivational incentives, compiling a preference order.Design/methodology/approachThe model was tested using a completely randomised vignette experiment. 102 master’s students had to indicate their preference among various randomly selected job vignettes. Certain vignettes presented to experimental group subjects were individually manipulated to provide either very good or very poor person-job fit. The manipulation’s effect on vignette preference was analysed using logistic regression.FindingsExperimental group subjects significantly preferred both well-fitting and random vignettes over misfitting ones. No significant preference was found comparing well-fitting and random vignettes. Coherent with prospect theory, the deterring effect of misfit appears to be stronger than the attraction effect of good fit, supporting the model.Originality/valueMost previous research on motivational person-job fit focused on a single factor (e.g. PSM) when predicting job preference. This study, in contrast, incorporates multiple motivational dimensions, capturing that individuals usually pursue mixed motives.

Journal

International Journal of Manpower – Emerald Publishing

Published: Aug 1, 2016

There are no references for this article.