Need-Supply Misfit Management: Assessing Employees’ Propensity to Reduce Need-Supply Misfit at Work

Abstract Research shows that employees thrive in work situations that satisfy their psychological needs for relatedness, autonomy, and competence, highlighting the importance of a good fit between employees’ needs and the supplies their work environments provide for well-being. Recent evidence of dynamic changes in person-job fit suggests employees should proactively manage their match between needs and supplies to sustain well-being. We introduce need-supply misfit management , conceptualized as employees’ propensity to proactively adjust their work situation (i.e., job supplies) to reduce need-supply misfit, and present a validated scale for its assessment. Building on self-determination theory and person-environment fit theory, we differentiate misfit management by two types of misfit (deficiency vs. excess) and three psychological needs (relatedness, autonomy, competence). After demonstrating content validity in two samples (total N = 150), we supported the scale’s multidimensionality and psychometric robustness across two employee samples (total N = 772). A two-wave panel study ( N = 228 employees) demonstrated discriminant validity (e.g., from taking charge) and convergent validity, with differential relationships between the scale’s six dimensions and regulatory focus, need strength, and need satisfaction. Our scale offers a reliable tool to assess employees’ tendencies to self-initiate changes aimed at reducing need-supply misfit, providing valuable insights for advancing occupational health psychology.