Person–organization fit and helping behavior: How and when this relationship occurs

Abstract

Helping behaviors are vital for organizational effectiveness in highly changing and interdependent contexts, such as young, knowledge-intensive SMEs (small and medium enterprises). Therefore, the research on the conditions under which such behavior is promoted is of great importance. In this sense, this paper examined how and when the person–organization fit (PO fit) (i.e., perceived value congruence) influenced the employees’ helping behavior in a sample of 320 employees and their supervisors from 21 knowledge-intensive SMEs in Spain. Results indicated that job engagement was a key mechanism that transmitted the effect of PO fit on employees’ helping behavior. In addition, the level of perceived organizational support (POS) moderated the relationship between person–organization fit and job engagement. Thus, when employees did not feel supported by their organization, their agreement with the values of the organization did not lead them to greater job engagement. Finally, results showed that the indirect relationship between PO fit and helping behavior, through job engagement, was not significant when employees discerned a low level of POS. Important implications are derived from these findings from both a theoretical and practical point of view.