1st Watch: The Navy Fit Scale

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1st Watch The Navy Fit Scale

• Marta Brown, M.S. Jacqueline
  Mottern, Ph.D.,Michael White, Ph.D., Marian E.
  Lane, M.S.

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1st Watch Project
Use New Instruments and Existing Data
with Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Samples
End RTC
End A School

• Database Links
• PRIDE
• NITRAS
• EMF
• NRAMS

Exit TrainingSurvey
A/ApprenticeSchool Graduate Survey
RTC GraduateSurvey
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Person-Organization Fit Theory

• The compatibility between people and
  organizations that occurs when (a) at least one
  entity provides what the other needs, or (b) they
  share similar fundamental characteristics, or (c)
  both (Kristof, 1996)
• Individuals develop a sense of fit during their
  career within an organization, which impacts
  their attitudes, decisions, and behavior

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Person-Organization Fit Research

• Operationalized as value congruence
• Applied in research involving judgment and
  decision making, recruiting, selection,
  socialization/training, and retention
• Previous research has focused on workers in
  civilian occupations
• This research extends the P-O fit literature
• Examining the controlled environment of military
  training and military life
• Utilizing unique measures

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Method

• Sample (N 47,708)
• Surveys
• RTC Grad Survey - Administered by Petty Officers
  to trainees (N 31,331) who are identified for
  graduation from Recruit Training Command
• A/Apprentice School Survey - Distributed by a
  student class leader to trainees who were
  identified for graduation from A/Apprentice
  School (N 9,323)
• Exit Survey - Administered at the separation
  barracks to all trainees who attrited during
  training (N 2,592)
• Data collection began in April 2002 and the first
  phase concluded in August 2003

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Navy Fit Scale

• An 8-item measure of perceived person-organization
  fit designed for use in the Navy setting
• Developed from the Navys Evaluation Report
  Counseling Record (E1-E6)
• Quality of work
• Teamwork
• Military bearing/character
• Evaluation of personal characteristics on the
  Navy profile
• Indirect method to assess objective fit

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Measures

• Navy Commitment Scale
• A person who is strongly attached to his or her
  military service as an organization and to his or
  her unit as a part of that organization (Gade,
  2003)
• Based on Meyer and Allen (87) Organizational
  Commitment Scale
• Morale
• Accuracy of expectations
• Perceived stress
• Attrition
• Demographic variables (Gender, paygrade, and
  education)

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Person-Organization Fit
RTC Grad N 31,331 A School N 9,323
Exit N 2,592
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Person-Organization Fit
RTC Grad N 31,331 A School N 9,323
Exit N 2,592
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Person-Organization Fit
RTC Grad N 31,331 A School N 9,323
Exit N 2,592
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Results

• Relationships between P-O fit and commitment,
  morale, accuracy of expectations, perceived
  stress, and attrition
• Positive Outcomes
• P-O fit and organizational commitment (rrtc .28
  and ras .35)
• P-O fit and morale (rrtc .29, ras .33, rexit
  .43)
• P-O fit and expectations (rrtc .13, ras .21,
  rexit .33)
• Negative Outcomes
• P-O fit and perceived stress (rrtc -.15, ras
  -.15, rexit -.38)
• P-O fit and attrition (r -.19)
• Graduates had significantly higher P-O fit than
  those who attrite

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Conclusions

• Support for and generalization of
  person-organization fit theory with unique
  measures
• Sailor-Navy fit was related to a strong
  commitment to the Navy, higher morale, accurate
  training expectations, lower perceived stress,
  and higher retention
• Increase understanding of association between P-O
  fit and career outcomes in the Navy
• Highly qualified sailors
• Well prepared sailors
• Reduced costs
• Additional measure of P-O fit in the Fleet