2003 IMTA Proceedings - International Military Testing Association

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personal characteristics with a profile of Navy values. This research extends the P-O fit literature
by examining the controlled environment of military training and military life.
Individuals develop a sense of fit during their career within an organization, which
impacts their attitudes, decisions, and behavior. Cable & DeRue (2002) explain that when P-O fit
exits, there is a match between the employees’ values and the organization’s values. This fosters
a sense of involvement and creates a strong bond, which results in greater identification with the
organization, a positive perception of organizational support, and the decision to stay in the
organization. This is congruent with Gade (2003), who described commitment in terms of
service members as “a person who is strongly attached to his or her military service as an
organization and to his or her unit as a part of that organization.” Although several studies have
found that P-O fit is related to job satisfaction (e.g., Kristof-Brown, Jansen, & Colbert, 2002) and
organizational commitment (e.g., O'Reilly, Chatman, & Caldwell, 1991), there is less evidence
for the relationship between P-O fit and morale and accuracy of expectations. Thus, in this study
the following hypothesis is proposed:
Hypothesis 1: Person-organization fit is positively related to morale, organizational
commitment, and expectations.
When people do not fit with their environment, they experience more negative affect such
as feelings of incompetence and anxiety (Chatman, 1991). Past research indicates that P-O fit is
related perceived stress (e.g., Lovelace & Rosen, 1996), and attrition (e.g., Saks & Ashforth,
1997). The following hypotheses are based on these findings and intend to extend the research by
improving generalizability:
METHOD
Hypothesis 2: Person-organization fit is negatively related to stress and attrition.
Hypothesis 3: Recruits who graduate will have higher person-organization fit than those
who attrite.
Upon entering the Navy, recruits complete 8 weeks of training with a training division at
Recruit Training Command (RTC), Great Lakes Naval Training Center. Once the training
requirements are completed, trainees graduate from RTC and transition to the next phase of
training. The graduates either continue with advanced training at an “A/Advanced School” or
attend a 2-3 week Apprentice School. Questionnaires were administered to trainees at these two
milestones (RTC Grad Survey and “A”/Apprentice School Survey) and, in the case of attrition,
upon separation from the Navy (Exit Survey). Data collection began in April 2002 and
concluded in August 2003.
Sample
Navy recruits in training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center were tracked from the
beginning of Recruit Training Command to graduation from “A”/Apprentice School (N =
47,708).
45 th Annual Conference of the International Military Testing Association
Pensacola, Florida, 3-6 November 2003