The role of individual differences in flexible ways of working : creating person-environment fit as an individual team, and organisation

Due to a combination of results-oriented management styles, HR policies, innovations in information and communication technologies (ICT), corporate real estate (CRE), and facilities management (FM), advanced ICT skills, and raised awareness of personal needs and preferences, knowledge workers are increasingly eager to, able to, and allowed to work flexibly with regard to time, place and tools. Time-spatial job crafting is central to creating Person-Environment fit in this context, implying that personal needs and abilities - which typically differ across workers - should be aligned to the flexible work environment by developing divergent personal work styles. Relevant individual differences concern job characteristics, personal skills and capabilities, psychological characteristics, demographics, and home situation. Understanding differing individual needs and abilities - on an individual, team and organisational level, is fundamental to creating Person-Environment fit in practice. Furthermore, team agreements and integrated workplace management are central to creating a supportive flexible work environment.