Embedding the organizational culture profile into Schwartz’s theory of universals in values

Abstract Person-organization fit (P-O fit) is often measured by the congruence of a person’s values and the values that he or she ascribes to the organization. A popular instrument used in this context is the Organizational Culture Profile (O’Reilly, Chatman, & Caldwell, 1991). The OCP scales use 54 items that form eight factors in exploratory factor analysis. We investigate the extent to which the OCP can be embedded into Schwartz’s Theory of Universals in Values (TUV) that is formulated in terms of a circumplex in a 2-dimensional plane. To address this question, we develop a non-standard multidimensional scaling (MDS) method that enforces a TUV-based axial regionality onto the solution space together with a permutation test that assesses the consistency of the side constraints with the MDS representation. We find that the OCP can indeed be embedded into the TUV. The practical implication is that P-O fit can be assessed more simply by the congruence of the person’s and the organization’s positions on two value dimensions: risk vs. rules and results vs. relations.