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Does West "Fit" With East? In Search Of A Chinese Model Of Person Environment Fit

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The Academy of Management Journal

Published online on

Abstract

Extant theorizing of person-environment (PE) fit is culture-bound in that it focuses predominantly on PE fit phenomena in the Western worlds. We enrich the PE fit literature by exploring the interpretations of PE fit in a dominant Eastern context (Chinese) with a qualitative study. We interviewed 30 Chinese working adults with diverse backgrounds. Findings suggest an integrated Chinese model of PE fit that constitutes five dominant PE fit themes (i.e., competence at work, harmonious connections at work, balance among life domains, cultivation, and realization). In addition, our study finds empirical evidence of both psychological time and diachronic time with regards to PE fit. With respect to cultural grounding, we reason that Confucian relationalism, selfhood, and appropriateness are particularly helpful in explaining our findings. Other implications and future research are discussed.