Structural Contingency Theory and Individual Differences Examination of External and Internal Person-Team Fit

• Published in: Journal of applied psychology Vol. 87; no. 3; pp. 599 - 606
• Main Authors: Hollenbeck, John R, Moon, Henry, Ellis, Aleksander P. J, West, Bradley J, Ilgen, Daniel R, Sheppard, Lori, Porter, Christopher O. L. H, Wagner, John A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Psychological Association 01-06-2002
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Cognition; Cognitive Ability; Cooperative Behavior; Decision Making; Emotions; Environment; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Goodness of fit; Group Performance; Human; Humans; Individual Differences; Interdependence; Interpersonal Relations; Organizational Effectiveness; Organizational Structure; Person Environment Fit; Psychological aspects; Psychological Theory; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Regression analysis; Social interactions. Communication. Group processes; Social psychology; Social theory; Studies; Teams; Teamwork; Theories; Theory; Work Teams; Working Conditions; Working groups; Workplace - psychology; Human; Work team; Interindividual comparison; Cognitive ability; Emotion emotionality; Personality; Experimental study; Adaptation
• ISSN: 0021-9010; 1939-1854
• DOI: 10.1037/0021-9010.87.3.599

This article develops and tests a structurally based, integrated theory of person-team fit. The theory developed is an extension of structural contingency theory and considers issues of external fit simultaneously with its examination of internal fit at the team level. Results from 80 teams working on an interdependent team task indicate that divisional structures demand high levels of cognitive ability on the part of teammembers. However, the advantages of high cognitive ability in divisional structures are neutralized when there is poor external fit between the structure and the environment. Instead, emotional stability becomes a critical factor among teammembers when a divisional structure is out of alignment with its environment. Individual differences seem to play little or no role in functional structures, regardless of the degree of external fit.