The term ‘misfit’ is in common usage in daily life and we all have an idea of what a misfit is, but there is little research in the industrial organisational psychology discipline to define this description and pathology in terms of what it might mean for an individual, for the organisation they work in or both. What brings about this state, what does it feel like to be a misfit and what are the outcomes and effects? Research on ‘what is a misfit’ is just in the early stages (Edwards & Shipp, 2007; Fevre, Matheny, & Kolt, 2003; Talbot & Billsberry, 2010). Through a Ground Theory methodology underpinned by a constructionist epistemology my research seeks to bring to the foreground the thoughts, feelings and key issues of individuals who consider themselves to be a misfit and those of referent others who observe misfits. I am using netnography (digital ethnography) as my method in order to identify what people feel like when they are in a misfit state and to understand what got them there.
My question to you is, where are the discussion forums that would offer the richest data. I am 'Google' searching under search terms such as lack of fit/misfit/corporate misfit/dysfunctional organisational culture and would really appreciate some pointers as to where is best to search. Fortunately I am using NVivo 10 and the 'Netcapture' function to help me code, so I am not phased by volume or complexity.
There is a literature on person-job (P-E) fit, some of it from a stress perspective, i.e., poor fit is stressful. Here's a few references.
Edwards, J. R. (1991). Person-job fit: A conceptual integration, literature review, and methodological critique. In C. L. Cooper & I. T. Robertson (Eds.), International review of industrial and organizational psychology ( Vol. 6, pp. 283–357). New York: Wiley.
Edwards, J. R. (1996). An examination of competing versions of the person–environment fit approach to stress. Academy of Management Journal, 39, 292–339.
Livingstone, L. P., Nelson, D. L., & Barr, S. H. (1997). Person–environment fit and creativity: An examination of supply-value and demand-ability versions of fit. Journal of Management, 23, 119–146.
Taris, R., & Feij, J. A. (2001). Longitudinal examination of the relationship between supplies-values fit and work outcomes. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 50, 52–80.
You can google AEM cube or ACT cube. These are evidence based analytical tools to pinpoint the best contribution a person can have in a team, an organisation and his assigments. The theoretical underpinnings are mainly based on biological and systems theoretical knowlegde instead of psychology. The growth curve (S-curve) is introduced because many pschological models seem to ingore the temporal aspect in the emerging values that persons can contribute. This theory is constructed and operationalized by prof. Peter Robertson MD of Human Insight ltd.
Thinking oneself as organizational misfit is a psychological phenomenon, where one seemingly lacks in self confidence and suffers from inferiority complex. This woks as obstacle to effective engagement and performance. The person concerned is not able to mingle in the prevailing organizational culture. Once hired, nobody can be branded as organizational misfit. The role of HRM is very crucial in this. Identification of disengaged persons, training and placement are important issues. There could be job rotation in some cases.Creative potential of every employee is organizational asset, which is required to be explored and utilized.
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