A connectionist model of the ideal organization: investigating nurse assessment of person-organization fit

The attraction and retention of nurses is a primary concern in the healthcare industry. I propose a context-sensitive connectionist model of person-organization (P-O) fit to provide a framework for understanding the cognitive information processing that nurses undergo when determining to accept a position or remain at an organization. Building on this framework, I develop and test an occupation-specific instrument for evaluating nurse P-O fit using a qualitative-to-quantitative method. This provides three primary contributions to the P-O fit literature and the study of nurse attraction and retention. First, the proposed model of P-O fit expands on prior P-O fit theories by 1) identifying where the ideal organization concept originates, 2) providing an explanation for why the ideal organization concept changes over time, 3) detailing the cognitive information processing and pattern matching process that dictates how P-O fit is determined by an individual, and 4) accommodating normative and distinctive fit preferences. Second, the development of the corresponding P-O fit instrument, the Nurse Ideal Organization Prototype (IOP), contributes to the literature by demonstrating the qualitative-to-quantitative process of creating an occupation-specific measure of P-O fit. Finally, by testing this measure utilizing overall, normative, and distinctive fit indices, contributions are also made by reinforcing the importance of normative fit relative to attitudinal outcomes and by comparing universal to occupation-specific measures of P-O fit. These contributions both expand current understanding of P-O fit and provide a novel perspective for addressing nurse attraction and retention.