THE ASA FRAMEWORK: AN UPDATE

TLDR

In 1987, Schneider proposed that organizations are defined by the collective characteristics of their people, evolving through an attraction‑selection‑attrition cycle. The paper overviews the ASA cycle, reviews literature on two facets of the theory, and proposes future research directions. The authors review literature on two facets of the ASA theory and outline its attraction‑selection‑attrition cycle. The literature provides indirect evidence that founders and top‑management members have long‑term effects on organizations via the ASA cycle, and that organizations become increasingly homogeneous over time.

Abstract

In 1987, B. Schneider proposed a person‐oriented model of organizational behavior based on the proposition that it is the collective characteristics of people who define an organization. He further proposed that, over time, organizations become defined by the persons in them as a natural outcome of an attraction‐selection‐attrition (ASA) cycle. We provide a brief overview of the ASA cycle and review literature relevant to two facets of the theory. The literature reviewed provides some indirect support for the proposal that founders and the members of top management have long‐term effects on organizations through the ASA cycle. The literature reviewed provides both indirect and direct evidence supporting a central proposition of ASA theory–that organizations over time become relatively homogeneous with regard to the kinds of people in them. Suggestions for future research on ASA are presented.