CALL FOR PAPERS
New Directions in Organizational Fit
Edited by
Amy L. Kristof-Brown, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Iowa</st1:placename></st1:place>
Jon Billsberry, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Coventry</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>
Published by
Wiley-Blackwell
Rationale
2007 saw the publication of the first book dedicated to the concept of organisational fit. This book, entitled Perspectives on Organizational Fit, was edited by noted academics in the field, Cheri Ostroff and Timothy A. Judge. It was published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates in their Organizational Frontiers Series. The book contains contributions from many of the leading authorities in the field. The chapters explore definitional, methodological and statistical issues and the final chapter, by Timothy A Judge, pulls together a state of the art review of the topic. This summary captures the argument of the book which is towards greater methodological and definitional rigour, a move away from subjective and perceived forms of fit, a separation of research into different categories of fit, and a questioning of whether fit has any value above a more general orientation to jobs and organisations. Judge ends by saying, 'I do believe that there are some problems that are seemingly intractable. However, it is at times like this that the greatest innovations are made' (p.441). In many ways this book marks the end of the first period in fit research. It marks a moment in time when fit researchers have honed their methodological approaches and gathered a large amount of data that has left them wondering, "What exactly is this thing called fit?"
We find ourselves intellectually provoked by this question, and our goal for this new book is to stimulate further conceptual progress on the topic of organizational fit. In particular, we want to use the book to encourage new research that explores: 1) how people form their impressions of fit, 2) how these evolve over time, and 3) how misfit differs as a psychological state from fit. Hence, we encourage grounded, constructivist and interpretivist approaches in addition to the positivist ones that dominate the mainly American literature (and the Perspectives on Organizational Fit book). And we want to explore lessons from related fields such as identity, deviance, embeddedness, belongingness and work/life balance. Importantly, we believe that fit does have a future and that to make headway we need to encourage fundamental research that re-establishes the nature and impact that people's sense of fit has on their behaviour. We hope to use our proposed book as the catalyst that will stimulate a resurgence of interest in the concept of fit.
We are also considering an "application" section to the book, in which we would encourage papers that address: 1) how fit is measured and used in organizations, as well as 2) how the subject of organizational fit might be taught to university and professional, as well as Ph.D. students.
Although we are using the term 'organizational fit' in the title of the book – because it is term that most people use to label this field – we want to consider the domain broadly and we are interested in receiving submissions any dimension of organizational fit. This includes person-job, person-team, person-culture and other forms of fit. Chapters that consider fit from a multi-level perspective are also encouraged.
More specifically, over the past year we have been identifying trends in the fit literature which are going to likely set the structure for the book. At present, these trends include, but are not limited to:
- Understanding what underlies perceptions of fit;
- Distinguishing misfit from fit;
- Looking at organizational fit within its social, economic, and religious environments;
- Exploring organizational fit in different forms of work;
- International perspectives on fit;
- Assessing the impact of organizational fit on organizations and teams;
- Assessing fit for organizational use; and,
- Longitudinal studies of fit.
Process
This book project was formally unveiled at a caucus entitled, New Directions in Fit, at the 2009 <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Academy</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Management</st1:placename></st1:place>. This was a first opportunity to discuss trends and possible ideas for chapters. It was attended by more than forty people. However, you do not need to have been at that caucus in order to participate in this project. This is an open call that genuinely seeks new and different voices on organizational fit.
As this book looks to the future, time is a crucial element in the production of the book and we hope to get it published in double-quick fashion. The deadlines we have outlined below are fixed and will be adhered to. We do not want this book to come out after the 'new directions' discussed in the book have become 'old directions'!
The first deadline is 10th November 2009 when extended abstracts of between 1000 and 2000 words are invited. These should outline the contents of potential chapters. These will be discussed at the Global e-Conference on Fit (www.fitconference.com) in November 2009.
The second deadline is 1st April 2010. This is for full versions of the papers that will be reviewed and commented upon by the editors. In addition, the editors may ask subject specialists to offer their comments during this period as well. The editors are committed to returning comments to authors by the 1st June 2010.
The third deadline for final submissions is 14th September 2010. The papers will be reviewed again by the two editors and hopefully make final decisions on inclusion.
The anticipated publication date is early 2011.
Format
For the 10th November 2009 deadline: 2000 word (maximum length) summaries outlining the content of your proposed chapter should be emailed to Jon at the email address below. Please produce your paper in Word format (PDF is not acceptable as they need to be styled for the conference format). Please use British English spellings (not US English), but using a 'z' in organization rather than an 's', the book will be published by a British publisher, Wiley-Blackwell. In all other matters, please follow APA format.
For the 1st April 2010 deadline: 6000-10000 word 'finished' papers should be emailed to Jon at the email address below. Other format details are the same as above.
Editors
Amy L. Kristof-Brown is the Henry B. Tippie Research Professor of Human Resource Management Henry B. Tippie College of Business, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Iowa</st1:placename></st1:place>. She has served as an associate editor of the Journal of Applied Psychology and is currently on the editorial boards of Journal of Applied Psychology, and Academy of Management Journal. She is best known for her theoretical and review person-environment fit papers, including a new chapter in the APA Handbook of IO Psychology that will be coming out in June, 2010. Her other research interests are in the areas of expatriate adjustment, impression management in interviews, and goal setting.
Phone: 319-335-0928
Email: amy-kristof-brown 'at' uiowa.edu
Jon Billsberry is Professor of Organisational Behaviour at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Coventry</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Business</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">School</st1:placetype></st1:place>. He is Chair of the <st1:placename w:st="on">British</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Academy</st1:placetype> of Management's Organisational Psychology division, Division Program Chair of the Management Education and Development division of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Academy</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Management</st1:placename></st1:place>, and Co-Editor (Teaching and Learning) of the Organization Management Journal. His research interests are in the areas of workplace person-environment fit, recruitment and selection, cinematic representations of work and working life and innovations in management education. He has published two authored books and four edited collections.
Phone: +44 (0) 2476 888412
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mobile</st1:place></st1:city>: +44 (0) 7974 984556
Email: j.billsberry 'at' coventry.ac.uk