Delery (1998) critiqued the literature on fit in SHRM focusing primarily on horizontal fit. At the time this article was published,
he noted that there was virtually no support for either vertical or horizontal fit—two key constructs that had emerged in the SHRM
literature earlier. He identified weaknesses of previous studies (construct validity issues related to levels of analysis, inappropriate
use of cluster analysis, limited dependent variables—failure to consider more than bottom line performance) as well as directions
for future research (studying negative synergistic effects, better theory development overall to deal with construct validity issues,
and designing studies with larger sample sizes). Unfortunately, many of the issues Delery identified then remain problematic
today