Mediating roles of intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy in the relationships between perceived person-job fit and work outcomes

Most fit scholars primarily focused on the direct relationship between perceived person-job fit and work-related outcomes. However, they offered little understanding of the mediating process linking these relationships. Hence, the present study specifically considered intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy as the mediating variables. After analyzing 256 sets of employee and supervisor questionnaires collected from 12 frozen seafood processing factories in Taiwan, this study found that perceived person-job fit was directly related to job involvement and job performance. In addition, it was also found that both intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy served as important mediating and motivational mechanisms in the relationship between perceived person-job fit and job involvement, as well as those between perceived person-job fit and job performance. Implications for practice were discussed and directions for future research were also provided.