Person-organization fit (PO-Fit), personality, organizational climate and job performance among academic administrators in public universities in Thailand: job satisfaction as the mediator

Higher education institutions throughout the globe are under pressure to change and are currently facing daunting challenges. To meet the challenges, Thailand’s higher education institutions made reform in terms of academic excellence and requisite standards and quality assurance which could ultimately affect job satisfaction and job performance of academic administrators. This study aimed at investigating the relationship between Person-Organization fit (P-O fit), proactive personality, organizational climate and job performance with the mediating role of job satisfaction. The study utilized survey questionnaires which were randomly distributed to 417 academic administrators of public universities in Southern Thailand. Out of 417 questionnaires distributed, 187 questionnaires were returned and usable, giving a 45 % of response rate. The hypotheses were tested using PLS-SEM path modeling techniques. It was found that 7 out of the 9 hypotheses were supported, while the other 2 were not supported. The results showed that there are positive and significant relationship between P-O fit, proactive personality, organizational climate and job performance. The study also found positive and significant relationship between P-O fit, organizational climate and job satisfaction but no significant relationship between personality and job satisfaction. The study also found that job satisfaction mediates the relationship between P-O fit, organizational climate and job performance. Overall, the findings of the present study provide support of Attraction-Selection-Attrition (ASA) theory and TWA theory. By implication this study contributes to the body of knowledge as well as to the policy makers to take appropriate decision on how to improve the performance of academic administrators. Finally, direction for future research and the conclusion were discussed.