Person–Skill Fit: Why a New Form of Employee Fit Is Required

Abstract

Significant recent changes in labor affect organizations, managers, and employees; however, we do not yet fully understand the depth and scope of these changes. For example, although previous research on person–job and person–organization fit is helpful, it has struggled to provide clarity when the very nature of work and jobs is changing and new types of work are emerging. To contribute to the literature on person–job and person–organization fit, this paper proposes a conceptual model that explains the ways in which individual, job and organizational factors interact with diverse work environments. Specifically, I show that a new work environment generates a new form of employee fit, which I call person–skill fit. I argue that changes in the constructs that contribute to employee fit (e.g., competencies, trust, commitment and values) may generate a fit gap that manifests in the form of a managerial gap. Firms should address this gap to improve their dynamic alignment with new forms of work. This framework offers potentially valuable new ways of assisting managers and organizations in their efforts to adjust to the changing nature of work and to transition from standard management practices to new management practices to achieve improved outcomes by utilizing the person–skill fit model.