Job engagement, job satisfaction, and contrasting associations with person-job fit

Forms of well-being vary in their activation as well as valence, differing in respect of energy-related arousal in addition to whether they are negative or positive. Those differences suggest the need to refine traditional assumptions that poor person–job fit causes lower well-being. More activated forms of well-being were proposed to be associated with poorer, rather than better, want–actual fit, since greater motivation raises wanted levels of job features and may thus reduce fit with actual levels. As predicted, activated well-being (illustrated by job engagement) and more quiescent well-being (here, job satisfaction) were found to be associated with poor fit in opposite directions - positively and negatively, respectively. Theories and organizational practices need to accommodate the partly contrasting implications of different forms of well-being.