Matching Personality and Organizational Culture: Effects of Recruitment Strategy and the Five-Factor Model on Subjective Person-Organization Fit

If the "people make the place," what kinds of people (personalities) fit into what kinds of places (organizations), and how might the recruitment messages of the organization facilitate a better fit? The authors explored the extent to which recruitment strategy (realistic vs. traditional) and the Five-Factor model of personality (FFM) were related to subjective person-organization fit (P-O fit) with the four organizational cultures encompassed by Cameron and Quinn's Competing Values model (CVM). Contrary to expectations, recruitment strategy did not have an effect on subjective P-O fit. Consistent with our hypotheses, (a) more agreeable and extraverted perceived greater fit with the clan culture, (b) more conscientious and less open persons perceived a better fit with a hierarchy culture, (c) less agreeable persons perceived a better fit with a market culture, and (d) persons who scored higher on openness perceived a better fit with an adhocracy culture.