Abstract

This study investigated the effects of person-organization (P-O) fit and person-group (P-G) fit in terms of the dimension of work and life balance on three facets of work engagement (vigor, dedication, and absorption) using polynomial regressions and response surface graphs. Considering the different environmental characteristics of organization and group, different approaches of supplementary fit and complementary fit were applied to P-O fit and P-G fit, respectively. Participants were 350 South Korean employees whose organization had 50 or more employees and who belonged to a separate department or group. Survey results indicated that dedication decreased on both directions of P-O misfit. In addition, vigor and dedication increased along the congruence line where P-O fit matched at high-high scores rather than low-low scores. As to P-G misfit, none of the coefficients were significant, not supporting the hypothesis. However, absorption increased along the P-G fit, showing a linear relationship. Even though vigor and dedication also increased, their rates of increase decreased exceeding a certain level, showing curvilinear relationships. Our findings suggest that managers may be able to improve dedication by intervening for P-O misfit for work and life balance. Also, results on the congruence line between P-O fit and P-G fit imply different roles of organization and group regarding work engagement. Based on these results, we discussed theoretical and practical implications and suggested future research.