Person-Organization Fit and Its Effect on Retention of Army Officers with Less Than Eight Years of Active Duty Service.

摘要

This study examines a system of selection for U.S. Army officers to reach higher retention rates of quality personnel. Reliable predictions of turnover intent are available by incorporating person-organization fit tools during the selection process. Study objectives were to evaluate the relationship between the individual officer's perceived person-organization fit and intent to remain in the Army past initial service commitments and the influence of the mediating factors of job satisfaction and organizational commitment on the officer's intent to voluntarily remain in the Army. A key underlying premise of the study was the Army's clearly defined organizational values and desired characteristics of officers, purportedly seeking individuals that strike a positive balance between the Army Values, agility, and adaptability. The measurement of correlation between individual and organizational values and characteristics provides a predictive tool for the desired organizational outcomes. A meta-analysis compared civilian and military research on person-organization fit, job satisfaction, and retention to identify similarities, differences, and areas of focus for the human resources component of the Army. Although the study found consistent results in both populations, key differences were identified in retention timelines and the Army's ability to influence extrinsic employment factors.