Managing Research, Development, and Innovation: Managing the Unmanageable, Third Edition

2.12. FIT OF PERSON AND JOB

A word should also be said about the fit of people and environment. A person whose abilities match the demands of the job will be most satisfactory to the organization. If the job makes greater demands than the person's ability, the individual feels unable to cope; if it makes too few demands, the individual becomes restless and bored. A close match between the individual's needs and the job's ability to satisfy these needs leads to job satisfaction. To some extent an individual's needs reflect expectations. People are most satisfied if the job provides what they expect the job to provide. There is empirical research showing that satisfaction is maximal when there is a match between expectation and realization. If ...