Why Fit Works (and Fails): Real Examples

These are real-world examples (Case Studies) of how Fit Works.   The cherished outcome is to get to “Fit,” and sometimes that fit is dependent on location, manager, industry, and a host of other things.  All of these variables can be integrated into “Fit”.

Napoleon: “What matters is not the total size of your army, but having the right troops, at the right time, at exactly the right point.”

Case Study: Hospital

A general hospital network operating in several Western states faced major challenges in hiring and retaining nurses in their Oncology Department.

Over time, the nurse retention issues got so bad that a third of new oncology hires in their RN (registered nurse) positions failed before their six-month anniversary, and a whopping 40 percent of new CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) hires failed before that point! The hospital’s own calculations placed the cost of each failed hire at over $80,000!

They started assessing for “Fit”, changed their interview process, created a successful mentorship program, ultimately reducing their retention and hiring issues.

Case Study:  Convenience Stores

Twelve convenience stores in the Dallas, Texas area worked to find “Fit,” but they discovered that each store had a different “fit”.

Wasn’t the job the same in each store? All twelve stores were owned by the same company and had the same name, but one important variable had to be factored in:  Location.

Some stores were located in the very affluent Dallas suburbs; others were located in the rougher parts of the city.

A different type of manager was needed in the affluent areas where most of the patrons were well-paid, well-mannered, and respectful to the staff and managers.  But in other areas, patrons held low-end jobs, were not respectful to the staff, and the store had a high theft problem.

The owners were able to refine the “fit”, not just to find the right person for the right job, but also for the right location.  Turnover was dramatically reduced.

Case Study:  Chevrolet Dealership

The business wanted to raise the productivity of its sales force. The average of the top-performing salespersons only attained 67% of what the company wanted them to achieve.

Initially, the company did not know exactly what variables (cognitive, behavioral or interest) needed to be tweaked. But the company worked to refind the Fit.

First, they chose a group that they felt had the highest potential to achieve, based on several criteria.  They looked at those who had made the most progress (and seemed to do the best with what they had). They then coached them.   This became the new Success Model that they hired to “fit”.

One year down the road, they looked at the results again.  They found that changes again needed to be made—some minor and some drastic.

They tweaked the Fit Success Model again based on the new data.  Eventually, they perfected the hiring to get exactly what they knew worked in that field and that specific dealership.

Fit can grow with your company and can be refined as you go along.  You can Flex Fit.

Case Study:  Accounting Firms

A study found that at least eight distinct work environments exist for management accountants, each requiring a different set of personality traits to satisfy the demands of the job. A mismatch of personality traits and the work environment creates an undesirable fit (misfit) between the management accountant and the job.  This caused job stress, job dissatisfaction, illness, lowered self-esteem, and intent to turnover  (Cluskey, 1995).

Personality Fit

One such mismatch was with a young accountant right out of college.  She scored very high on a cognitive math score.  She also scored high on extraversion.  Her first job out of college was with an accounting firm where she was stuck in a small room by herself, basically doing data processing. She was not happy because she missed social interaction.  Because of her extroversion, she would have been much better suited to being an auditor or a marketer of the business where her skills with numbers and people “Fit”.

Vales Fit

In one study, the researchers found that in accounting firms reveals that new accountants in accounting firm, who join firms where the fit of their own values to the accounting firms’ culture is high, are more likely to be satisfied, productive, committed, and remain with the accounting firms two years later.  They also adjust more quickly to the culture.

This case study demonstrates the value of using the framework of Fit for new hires.  By using it, the firm was more likely to keep its best talent and place them in the right “fit” from the beginning.

References:

1 Cluskey, G. R., Jr. (1995). Accounting position misfit, occupational job stressors, stress, and job strains on management accountants. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities & Social Sciences, 56(3-A), 1009.

2 O’Reilly, C. A., Chatman, J., & Caldwell, D. F. (1991). People and organizational culture:  A profiles comparison approach to assessing person-organization fit. Academy of Management Journal, 34, 487-516. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/48fYWPH

3 Chatman, J. (1991). Matching people and organizations:  Selection and socialization in public accounting firms. Administrative Science Quarterly, 36, 459-484. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/472JoNx