The moderating effect of tenure in person-environment fit: A field study in educational organizations

This study investigated the role of employee tenure in the relationship between person and environment factors whereby person factors were represented by personal orientations of teachers and environment factors by organizational climates in schools. Questionnaires assessing personal orientations and tenure were completed by 597 employees from 29 organizations. Climate scores were assessed based on the perceptions of a separate sample of 581 employees from the same organizations. Consistent with Schneider's ASA framework, results suggest that tenure moderates the relationship between person and environment; teachers with longer tenure generally fit the school better than their colleagues with shorter tenure. The effects were stronger at the aggregate group level than at the individual level. Implications of these findings are discussed.