Assessing the Fit of Applicants: A Pilot Study Among Austrian Start-Ups

Authors

  • Peter Heimerl Institut für Management und Ökonomie im Gesundheitswesen UMIT - Universität für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Medizinische Informatik und Technik Hall in Tirol, Austria
  • Ruibing Chen Business in Emerging Markets UniversityofAppliedSciencesJoanneum Graz, Austria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53555/nnbma.v3i9.50

Keywords:

Austrian Start-ups, Selection Process, Person-Environment Fit, Applicant Assessment

Abstract

Many innovation-oriented companies in the Western world are facing a scarcity of young talent particularly in the technical and engineering professions. As an engine of innovation, start-ups depend ever more on the fast growth of human capital, to secure their survival and success. Little research has however been done regarding hiring in start-ups, therefore a pilot study of good practice in start-ups that is essential for HR expansion and innovation is very necessary for innovation-oriented companies. The main result of the study, using a qualitative approach is the formation of a theoretical framework that can demonstrate good practice in the hiring process model, used for Austrian start-ups. This framework has been based on intensive research into the recent literature dealing with the person-environment fit, as well as in-depth interviews with HR managers active in Austrian start-ups. The outcome of the study does not only provide a theoretical framework for hiring in start-ups, but also provides insights into the hypothetical creation of future studies on hiring in other innovation-oriented companies.

References

Adkins, C. L., Russell, C. J., & Werbel, J. D. (1994). Judgments of Fit in the Selection Process: The Role of Work Value Congruence. Personnel Psychology, 97(3), 605-621.

Astakhova, M. N. (2016). Explaining the effects of perceived person-supervisor fit and personorganization fit on organizational commitment in the U.S. and Japan. Journal of Business Research, 69, 956–963.

Blank, S. (2013). Why the Lean Start-Up Changes Everything. Harvard Business Review, 1-9.

Bowen, D. E., & Ostroff, C. (2004). The “strength” of the HRM system, organizational climate formation, and firm performance. Academy of Management Review, 29, 203–221.

Bowen, D. E., Ledford, G. E., & Nathan, B. R. (1991). Hiring for the organization, not the job. Academy of Management Executive, 5, 35-51.

Bretz, R., Rynes, S., & Gehart, B. (1993). Recruiters perception of applicant fit: Implications for individual career preparation and job search behavior. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 43, pp. 310-327

Brierley, P. (2001). The financing of technology-based small firms: A review of the literature. London: Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin

Cable, D., & Judge, T. (1997). Interviewer´s Perception of Person-Organization Fit and Organizational Selection Process. Journal of Applied Psychology,82 (4), 546-561.

Caplan, R. (1987). Person-environment fit theory and organization: Commensurate dimensions, time perspectives, and mechanism. Journal of Vocational Behavior , 248-267.

Creswell, J. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design; choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks: Sage

Creswell, J. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods. Los Angeles: Sage.

Dipboye, R. L. (1994). Structured and unstructured selection interviews: Beyond the job-fit model. Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management,12, 79–123.

Dömötör, R., & Spannocchi, B. (2016). European Startup Monitor 2016 Country Report Austria. Vienna: The European Startup Monitor

Edward, J. (1991). Person-job fit: A conceptual integration, literature review and methodological critique. International Review of Industrial/Organizational Psychology, 6, 283-357.

Fassl, L.-M., & Dömötör, R. (2015). European Startup Monitor – Country Report Austria 2015. German Startups Association

Heneman, R., & Tansky, J. (2002). Human resource management models for entrepreneurial opportunity: Existing knowledge and new directions. In J. Katz, & T. Welbourne, Managing people in entrepreneurial organizations (Vol. 5, pp. 55-82). Amsterdam: JAI Press.

Judge, T. A., & Ferris, G. R. (1992). The elusive criterion of fit in human resources staffing decisions. Human Resource Planning,15, 47-67

Kontolaimou, A., Giotopoulos, I., & Tsakanikas, A. (2016). A typology of European countries based on innovation efficiency and technology gaps: The role of early-stage entrepreneurship. Economic Modelling, 52 , 477–484.

KPMG. (2014). German Start-up Monitor .

Kristof, A. L. (1996). Person–organization fit: An integrative review of its conceptualizations,measurement, and implications. Personnel Psychology, 49, pp. 1–28.

Kristof-Brown, A. L., Zimmerman, R. D., & Johnson, E. C. (2005). Consequences of individuals' fit at work: A meta-analysis of person–job, person–organization, person–group, and person–supervisor fit. Personnel Psychology, 58 (2), 281–342.

Leung, A., Zhang, J., Wong, P. K., & Foo, M. D. (2006). The use of networks in human resource acquisition for entrepreneurial firms: Multiple bfitQ considerations. Journal of Business Venturing, 21 , 664–686.

Muchinsky, P. M., & Monahan, C. J. (1987). What is Person-Environment Congruence? Supplementary Versus Complementary Models of Fit. Journal of Vocational Behavior,31(3), 268-277.

Oh, I.-S., Guay, R., Kim, K., Harold, C. M., Lee, J.-h., Heo, C.-G., & Shin, K.-h. (2014). FIT happens globally: A meta-analytic comparison of the relationships of person-environment fit dimensions with work attitude and performance across East Asia, Europe and North

America. Personnel Psychology,67, 99-152.

Ostroff, C., & Schulte, M. (2007). Perspectives on Organizational Fit. Psychology Press.

Ostroff, C., & Zhan, Y. (2012). Person–Environment Fit in the Selection Process. In N. Schmitt, Handbook of Personnel Selection and Assessment (pp. 252-273). Oxford University Press.

Schneider, B. (1987). Environment = f(P, B): The road to a radical approach to personenvironment fit. Journal of Vocational Behavior,31, 353–361.

Schneider, B., Goldstein, H., & Smith, B. (1995). The ASA Model Framework: An Update. Personnel Psychology, 48(4), 747-770.

Sekiguchi, T. (2004). Person-Organization Fit and Person-Job Fit in Employee Selection: A Review of the Literature. Osaka keidai ronshu, 54(6), 179-196.

Shane, S., & Venkataraman, S. (2000). The promise of entrepreneurship as a field of research. Academy of Management Review, 25, 217–226.

Taylor, S. (2006). Acquaintance, meritocracy and critical realism: Researching recruitment and selection processes in smaller and growth organizations. Human Resource Management Review, 16, 478–489.

U.S. Small Business Administration. (2016, March). Startups & High Growth Businesses. Retrieved from U.S. Small Business Administration: https://www.sba.gov/content/startups-high-growth-businesses

Van Vianen, A. (2000). Person-organization fit: the match between newcomers´ and recruiters´preferences for organizational culture. Personnel Psychology, 53, pp. 1-32.

Werbel, J. D., & Gilliland, S. W. (1999). Person-environment fit in the selection process. In G. R. Ferris, Research in personnel and human resource management (pp. 209-243). Stamford: JAI Press.

Werbel, J. D., & Johnson, D. J. (2001). The use of person–group fit for employment selection: A missing link in person–environment. Human Resource Management,40, 227–240.

Woodside, A. G., Bernal, P. M., & Coduras, A. (2016). The general theory of culture, entrepreneurship, innovation, and quality-of-life: Comparing nurturing versus thwarting enterprise start-ups in BRIC, Denmark, Germany, and the United States . Industrial Marketing Management, 53, 136–159.

Zotto, C. D., & Gustafsson, V. (2008). Human resource management as an entrepreneurial tool. In R. Barrett, & S. Mayson, International Handbook of Entrepreneurship and HRM (pp. 89-93). Cheltenham, England: Edward Elgar .

Downloads

Published

30-09-2017

How to Cite

Heimerl, P., & Chen, R. (2017). Assessing the Fit of Applicants: A Pilot Study Among Austrian Start-Ups. Journal of Advance Research in Business, Management and Accounting (ISSN: 2456-3544), 3(9), 09-18. https://doi.org/10.53555/nnbma.v3i9.50

Similar Articles

31-40 of 47

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.