Subjective fit with organisational culture : implications for the buffering role of participative control in the stress-strain relationship

Considerable research has produced mixed results relating to the stress-buffering effects of participative control on employee adjustment. This study proposed that stress-buffering effects of participative control would be more pronounced for those perceiving high, as opposed to low, subjective fit. Three significant interactions were found in a sample of 119 employees. The results revealed a three-way interaction between role conflict, participative control, and subjective fit on intentions to leave. Further analyses found a significant three-way interaction between role overload, participative control, and subjective fit on physiological symptoms and psychological health. In all interactions, participative control buffered the negative effects of the stressors on levels of employee adjustment only when employees’ subjective fit with the organisational culture was high. The theoretical importance of the results is discussed.