Email this article 
Hide
Show all
Original Research
Exploring the consequences of person–environment misfit in the workplace: A qualitative study
Submitted: 16 March 2020 | Published: 21 January 2021
About the author(s)
Mervywn K. Williamson, School of Management, Information Technology and Governance, College of Law and Management Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South AfricaKressantha Perumal, School of Management, Information Technology and Governance, College of Law and Management Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
Abstract
Orientation: Although the literature on person–environment fit has burgeoned, misfit has been relatively overlooked. The 21st-century business environment has seen an increase in the number of employee misfits in the workplace, and this has proved a challenge to many organisations. It is uncertain how misfit impacts on employees and organisations experiencing this phenomenon.
Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to broaden the current misfit research boundaries by exploring the consequences of misfit as experienced by individuals at work.
Motivation for the study: There exist several under-researched areas in the misfit terrain. One such is the effect of misfit in the workplace. This study aimed to fill this void.
Research approach, design and method: A qualitative constructivist grounded theory approach was adopted. Using purposive and snowball sampling, 40 employee misfits participated in face-to-face, semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and data analysed by using four steps prescribed by grounded theory researchers.
Main findings: Results highlight two themes that epitomise the consequences of misfit: (1) causing negative reactions in individual employees and (2) producing organisationally directed detrimental outcomes.
Practical/managerial implications: The study provides managers with a more profound understanding of the adverse consequences of misfit in the workplace and this will assist them in dealing more effectively with misfits.
Contributions/value added: This research contributes to the literature in two ways: (1) it contributes to the theory of misfit by adding to the conception that misfit is a qualitatively different construct to that of low fit or the absence of fit, and (2) our approach sheds light on the multifaceted and intricate construct of misfit and its consequences.
Keywords
Metrics
Total abstract views: 6445Total article views: 8162
Crossref Citations
1. How people higher on social dominance orientation deal with hierarchy-attenuating institutions: the person-environment (mis)fit perspective in the grammar of hierarchies
Alessio Tesi, Antonio Aiello, Felicia Pratto
Current Psychology vol: 42 issue: 30 first page: 26721 year: 2023
doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-03627-5
2. The Physical Environment in Remote Working: Development and Validation of Perceived Remote Workplace Environment Quality Indicators (PRWEQIs)
Alessandro Lorenzo Mura, Silvia Ariccio, Teresa Villani, Flavia Bonaiuto, Marino Bonaiuto
Sustainability vol: 15 issue: 4 first page: 2858 year: 2023
doi: 10.3390/su15042858
3. Sustainable person-environment fit and subjective career success: The moderating role of resilience
Zilmarie Carstens, Eileen Koekemoer, Andries Masenge
Journal of Psychology in Africa vol: 31 issue: 6 first page: 572 year: 2021
doi: 10.1080/14330237.2021.2001919
4. Beyond party and the pocketbook: racial resentment, hostile sexism, and perceptions of corporate political activity
Kirby Goidel, Spencer Goidel, Farzana Zinnat, Jiyeong Jeon
Business and Politics vol: 27 issue: 2 first page: 234 year: 2025
doi: 10.1017/bap.2024.24
5. A daily investigation of the influence of servant leadership on employees’ calling
ChunXia Liu, Shuwei Zong, Fu Yang, Xu Huang
Nankai Business Review International vol: 16 issue: 3 first page: 471 year: 2025
doi: 10.1108/NBRI-08-2024-0090
6. The impacts of achievement goal orientation, dark triad, person-environment misfit, and perceived psychological safety on external hires’ deviant behaviors
Cuizhi Yi, Haifeng Zhang
Scientific Reports vol: 15 issue: 1 year: 2025
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-09700-w
7. Enhancing creative performance among experienced newcomers: exploring the influence of knowledge exchange, learning goals, personality traits, and technostress
Linpei Song, Zhuang Ma
Humanities and Social Sciences Communications vol: 12 issue: 1 year: 2025
doi: 10.1057/s41599-025-04461-3
8. “Does this setting really fit with me?”: How support for group‐based social hierarchies predicts a higher perceived misfit in hierarchy‐attenuating settings
Antonio Aiello, Alessio Tesi
Journal of Applied Social Psychology vol: 53 issue: 5 first page: 423 year: 2023
doi: 10.1111/jasp.12949
9. Misfit beyond person-environment interactions: an integrative model and systematic reviews of anthropogenic, exogenous, and idiographic forms
Jon Billsberry
Management Review Quarterly year: 2025
doi: 10.1007/s11301-025-00506-8
10. Reducing Voluntary Employee Turnover in Small Construction Companies for Long-term Productivity
Prof. Dr. Joel Chagadama, Prof. Dr. Desire S. Luamba, Prof. Dr. Ir. Edouard M. Mutamba
International Journal of Business and Management Research vol: 10 issue: 3 first page: 53 year: 2022
doi: 10.37391/ijbmr.100301
11. Impact of Task-Fit Misalignment and the Director of Clinical Education: A Grounded Theory Study
Christine McCallum, Leigh Murray, Chalee Engelhard, Sarah Doren
Journal of Physical Therapy Education vol: 37 issue: 2 first page: 116 year: 2023
doi: 10.1097/JTE.0000000000000277
12. The relationship between job-hopping motives and congruence
Amy A. Hall, Brandon Morgan, Kleinjan Redelinghuys
SA Journal of Industrial Psychology vol: 48 year: 2022
doi: 10.4102/sajip.v48i0.1938
13. Understanding Turnover Intentions: The Interplay of Organizational Politics, Employee Resilience, and Person-Job Fit in Ghana’s Healthcare Sector
Hayford Asare Obeng, Tarik Atan
Sustainability vol: 16 issue: 22 first page: 9980 year: 2024
doi: 10.3390/su16229980
14. What is this thing called misfit? A systematic review into how employee misfit has been defined and researched
Yuwei Sun, Jon Billsberry
Management Review Quarterly vol: 75 issue: 4 first page: 3263 year: 2025
doi: 10.1007/s11301-024-00461-w