Two-Sided Cultural Fit: The Differing Behavioral Consequences of Cultural Congruence Based on Values Versus Perceptions

Richard Lu (), Jennifer A. Chatman (), Amir Goldberg () and Sameer B. Srivastava ()
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Richard Lu: Block’s CashApp, San Francisco, California 94103
Jennifer A. Chatman: University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720
Amir Goldberg: Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
Sameer B. Srivastava: University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720

Organization Science, 2024, vol. 35, issue 1, 71-91

Abstract: How do people establish and maintain cultural fit with an organization? Prior research has offered two perspectives that have heretofore been conceptually disconnected. One focuses on personal values, whereas another emphasizes perceptions of the cultural code. We develop a theoretical account that integrates these approaches by linking them to distinct mechanisms and behavioral consequences of cultural fit. We propose that value congruence —the match between one’s values and those that prevail in an organization—relates to the mechanism of group attachment and shapes behavior when one periodically steps back from day-to-day interactions, assesses one’s identification with an organization, and determines whether to stay or voluntarily depart. In contrast, we argue that perceptual congruence —the degree to which one implicitly understands an organization’s prevailing values and norms—relates to the mechanism of interpersonal coordination and influences behavior when one engages in routine peer interactions. Accordingly, we theorize that these two forms of cultural fit relate to distinct behaviors, voluntary exit and linguistic conformity with peers, respectively. Drawing on email and survey data from a midsized technology firm, we find support for our theory and discuss the implications of our findings for research on person-culture fit, dual-process models of culture and cognition, and the pairing of surveys with digital trace data.

Keywords: organization and management theory; organizational culture; quantitative text analysis; person-culture fit theory; managerial and organizational cognition; organization communication and information systems; electronic communication; research design and methods; unobtrusive measures; surveys; interpersonal and group communication; longitudinal research design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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