A social cognitive interpretation of person-organization fitting: The maintenance and development of professional technical competency

Abstract

Information technology professionals must continually align their competencies with new technological innovation and changing organizational technological climates. Existing theory and practice is deficient with respect to dynamic models of person-organization (P-O) fit. Social cognitive theory proposes a rich and well-defined theoretical framework for understanding dynamic, interactive behavioral processes, and so is adopted as a basis for developing a model of P-O fitting focused on the development of professional technical competencies. P-O fitting is so named because it refers to organizational fit as an ongoing process of adaptation. The article begins by reviewing existing literature on P-O fit and social cognitive theory to produce a set of propositions and a theoretical model of P-O fitting as an adaptive, dynamic phenomenon. Applications of the model for both future research and practice are suggested. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.