The person, the environment and the goodness of fit plays a role in not only job satisfaction but also life satisfaction in general. We all have a need to fit with our surroundings, to belong to our work group and whilst some of us need and want different levels of contact we all prefer to be with people like ourselves. Having chosen our companions we tend to become even more alike.
Cultural patterns and our values and beliefs can, but need not coincide. Where they do not coincide, we will experience a strain between our own inclinations and what the culture of our work group requires.
Since work is the chief source of contact with society the P-E fit model plays a key role in determining career engagement, job satisfaction and intentions to quit. The situation and atmosphere created by the people we work with dominate our work environment. There is a shared pattern of perceiving and thinking, shared kinds of communication, interaction and appearance, common attitudes and beliefs.
We tend to surround ourselves with people and situations congruent with our interests, capabilities and outlook on the world. Part of our early career is devoted to searching out environments that will allow us to exercise our skills and abilities, the characteristic competencies that we possess, so that we can express our personalities.
Where our values, attitudes, skills and capabilities are incompatible with our work environment, and where we can neither influence nor change our environment we can experience intense anxiety. Any condition of P-E incongruency is stressful and unpleasant. The longer this lasts the more detrimental are the effects on our wellbeing, our work performance and our satisfaction.
We all know when the work environment does not suit us. Most of us have to put up with some elements of the work culture that we dislike or find incompatible with our value system. It is when the difference is so great that it starts to have an adverse impact on our health and work performance that we should seriously sit down and reflect on our job choices.
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