Effect of newcomer involvement in work-related activities: a longitudinal study of socialization

Expatriate effectiveness: from conceptualization to operationalization

Expatriate effectiveness has been studied extensively in the expatriate literature. Despite its popularity, the construct has not been well-defined or properly operationalized. Adopting a performance perspective, we conceptualize expatriate effectiveness in terms of task, contextual, and adaptive performance. The relative importance of each type of performance may vary across expatriate jobs and over the course of the expatriate’s tenure. We propose six operational and implementation guidelines for expatriate effectiveness measurement in the contexts of the nature of the expatriate job, the prioritized performance at each stage of adjustment, rater sources and capabilities, rater culture, frequency of evaluation, and the fit between measurement methods and criteria. We contribute to cross-cultural management research by providing a thorough description of the criterion issues in this literature, offering a conceptual framework to differentiate and integrate a variety of constructs that reflect different aspects of cross-cultural effectiveness, and calling attention to the influential role of measurement operations and implementation for the validity of research studies.

Similarity and Contact Frequency Promote Mentorship Quality among Hispanic Undergraduates in STEM

Mentoring relationships can be important for promoting the success and persistence of undergraduates, particularly for students from historically underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. While mentoring is often cited as important for attracting and retaining students from underrepresented groups in STEM, little is known about the differential mentoring processes that can result from similar and dissimilar mentor-protégé pairs. The present study tests the process-oriented mentorship model (POMM) regarding how mentor-protégé similarities and the moderating role of contact frequency influence mentorship quality and STEM research career persistence intentions among faculty-mentored Hispanic STEM majors in their senior year of college. The results indicate that mentor-protégé similarity matters. Specifically, higher levels of mentor-protégé psychological similarity were related to higher levels of psychosocial support and relationship satisfaction. Hispanic students with a Hispanic faculty mentor reported engaging in more coauthoring opportunities than peers with non-Hispanic mentors. Among those with higher contact frequency, students with same-gender mentors had higher levels of relationship satisfaction than peers with different-gender mentors; however, there were no differences among those with low contact frequency. Additionally, protégés who reported coauthoring support were more likely to also report commitment to pursuing a STEM research career.

A proposed research agenda concerning supervisor training for newcomer organizational socialization

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify extant training needs for preparing supervisors to support newcomers’ organizational socialization and to develop a research agenda concerning aspects that conduce to making supervisors efficacious in the process of organizational socialization.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the literature on the development of socialization agents for organizational socialization generally indicates that relatively minimal research has been undertaken on this topic. Most articles have focused on the effects of organizational socialization on other variables – such as newcomers’ work outcomes, turnover intention and organizational commitment. The review was conducted in light of this phenomenon. It is based on the structured literature review method, per Rocco, Stein and Lee (2003).

Findings

Supervisor training is suggested as a means for enhancing organizational socialization. However, supervisor training is not often studied in organizational socialization research. Therefore, the verification of the impact of supervisor training on organizational socialization is required. Given the proposed research agenda, identifying the impact of supervisor training on different areas of organizational socialization domains and inspiring increased interest on supervisor training as an effective program for organizational socialization are logical outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

The concept of socialization is used in broad areas of research, such as education, military and engineering. However, it was reviewed here vis-à-vis human resource development (HRD). Therefore, the focus was on the notion of organizational socialization, which is appropriate for employee training development. The concept of organizational socialization in this paper, therefore, was delimited, as it failed to include all meanings of socialization. This paper sought to review all studies related to organizational socialization. However, some research was not considered and, thus, not discussed in this paper. This was because of time and resource constraints. The author sorted previous studies by personal standards and, thus, may have inadvertently included non-germane or excluded relevant citations.

Practical implications

Supervisory training for organizational socialization can be proposed as a potential area for leading to an effective organizational socialization program. So HRD professionals should study further about the topic and develop such programs. Increased attention on supervisor training for organizational socialization may increase the number and quality of supervisor training programs. Such studies would augment HRD professionals’ knowledge about organizational socialization and eventually enhance performance in organizations.

Social implications

This paper can expand the area in which social learning theory can be applied. According to Bandura and Walters (1977), the social learning theory posits that learning new behaviors can usually be acquired by observing and imitating others. This implies that newcomers emulate other organizational members to adapt to the organization and their assigned roles. In this process, supervisors can play a key role through showing them the appropriate behaviors, supporting their learning and providing appropriate feedback. Presumably, then, new employees may perform better if supervisors receive training on crucial socialization efforts.

Originality/value

Significantly, socialization agents are uniquely situated to greatly impact the organizational socialization process of newcomers. Among the socialization agents, supervisors garner enormous influence on newcomers’ organizational socialization. However, relatively few studies investigated the training of supervisors for organizational socialization.

Onboarding Effect on Employee Creativity: The Moderating Role of Psychological Empowerment

The purpose of the study is to examine the influence of onboarding on employee creativity and test if psychological empowerment moderates the relationship between onboarding and perceived employee creativity of knowledge workers. Data required for the survey was collected from 550 knowledge workers of three firms in service sector in India. The model was analysed using ANOVA, Chi-square test and regression analysis and was used to establish the conditional indirect effects of the moderator. Descriptive analysis was used to calculate mean, standard deviation and correlation coefficient. The results of the study supported the impact of onboarding levels on employee creativity. This study proved higher level of creativity for employees who experienced four levels of onboarding. The results indicated onboarding to strongly influence employee creativity. Onboarding also proved to moderate the effect of psychological empowerment on employee creativity. The crucial theoretical implication is to study the effect of onboarding on new employee perception, production and productivity. The study aims to provide insights to improve new employee creativity on successful onboarding and role of psychological empowerment on it. Much scope of future research on onboarding exists as research in this direction is on surge in the recent days.

Threat Upon Entry: Effect of Coworker Ostracism on Newcomers' Proactive Behaviors During Organizational Socialization

Extant literature has underlined the importance of newcomer proactive socialization to the organization. However, the effect of coworker ostracism on newcomers’ proactive behaviors has not been noticed. Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, we proposed a model exploring how coworker ostracism impacted newcomers’ proactive behaviors via the mediation of psychological availability. Through an empirical study with a sample of 263 newcomers and three waves of longitudinal data, we found that coworker ostracism had a negative effect on newcomers’ information seeking and guanxi developing. In addition, emotional intelligence enhanced the negative effect of coworker ostracism on newcomers’ psychological availability and the indirect influence of coworker ostracism on newcomers’ proactive behaviors via psychological availability. Important theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Testing models of reciprocal relations between social influence and integration in STEM across the college years

The present study tests predictions from the Tripartite Integration Model of Social Influences (TIMSI) concerning processes linking social interactions to social integration into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) communities and careers. Students from historically overrepresented groups in STEM were followed from their senior year of high school through their senior year in college. Based on TIMSI, we hypothesized that interactions with social influence agents (operationalized as mentor network diversity, faculty mentor support, and research experiences) would promote both short- and long-term integration into STEM via social influence processes (operationalized as science self-efficacy, identity, and internalized community values). Moreover, we examined the previously untested hypothesis of reciprocal influences from early levels of social integration in STEM to future engagement with social influence agents. Results of a series of longitudinal structural equation model-based mediation analyses indicate that, in the short term, higher levels of faculty mentorship support and research engagement, and to a lesser degree more diverse mentor networks in college promote deeper integration into the STEM community through the development of science identity and science community values. Moreover, results indicate that, in the long term, earlier high levels of integration in STEM indirectly influences research engagement through the development of higher science identity. These results extend our understanding of the TIMSI framework and advance our understanding of the reciprocal nature of social influences that draw students into STEM careers.

Having a Calling on Board: Effects of Calling on Job Satisfaction and Job Performance Among South Korean Newcomers

Despite increasing research on calling, how calling functions for those experiencing transition from school to work and how their calling prior to working relates to later well-being and job outcomes has been understudied. The current study explored effects of perceiving a calling on job satisfaction and job performance, as measured at organizational entry and 2 years after organizational entry. Using a time-lagged collection of a sample of South Korean newcomers, the results based on structural equation modeling revealed that perceiving a calling was positively related to supervisor-rated job performance. Job involvement, which was measured 1 year later, fully mediated the relation between perceiving a calling and job satisfaction, but the hypothesized mediating role of job involvement on the link between perceiving a calling and job performance was not supported. We also examined moderating roles of perceived organizational support and perceived person-job fit on the relation between perceiving a calling on job involvement and found that perceived organizational support facilitated the effects of perceiving a calling on job involvement. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Student Integration into STEM Careers and Culture: A Longitudinal Examination of Summer Faculty Mentors and Project Ownership

It is widely recognized that the United States needs to attract and retain more people in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Intensive undergraduate research experiences (UREs) are one of the few strategies shown to improve longitudinal student interest and persistence in STEM-related career pathways; however, less is known about the underlying process linking activities to positive outcomes. The tripartite integration model of social influences (TIMSI) provides a framework for understanding the social influence processes by which students integrate into STEM careers and culture. The current study used a longitudinal design and latent growth curve modeling to examine and predict the development of scientific research career persistence intentions over the course of an intensive summer URE. The latent growth curve analysis showed that student persistence intentions declined and rebounded over the course of the summer. Furthermore, the positive impact of faculty mentor role modeling on growth trajectories was mediated through internalization of science community values. In addition, project ownership was found to buffer students from the typical trend of declining and rebounding persistence intentions. The TIMSI framework illuminates the contextual features and underlying psychological processes that link UREs to student integration into STEM careers and culture.

It Takes a (Virtual) Village: Exploring the Role of a Career Community to Support Sensemaking As a Proactive Socialization Practice

Scholars have long advocated for individuals to play a more proactive role during organizational entry rather than relying on institutionally led processes. The primary benefit being that the newcomer moves from passive recipient, dependent on the institution to highlight relevant information, to active agent with self-determined sources and methods to aid in adjustment. A virtual career community made up of 12 first year business faculty members was created to provide such a self-determined source of support during the transition from doctoral studies to full-time assistant professorship. After the entry period (1 academic year), the interactions in this community were used as data for a phenomenon driven research study. The results illustrate how a virtual career community could be used as a proactive socialization tool by encouraging sensemaking amongst first year faculty peers. The sensemaking process consists of perceived contrasts and tensions, followed by positive and negative self-disclosures, community feedback, and the experience of cognitive-behavioral shifts. The findings also expand the proactive use of external referents during organizational entry, which previously had only looked at friends and family members of the newcomer.

Mentor qualities that matter: The importance of perceived (not demographic) similarity

Mentoring, particularly same-gender and same-race mentoring, is increasingly seen as a powerful method to attract and retain more women and racial minorities into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and careers. This study examines elements of a mentoring dyad relationship (i.e., demographic and perceived similarity) that influence the quality of mentorship, as well as the effect of mentorship on STEM career commitment. A national sample of African American undergraduates majoring in STEM disciplines were surveyed in their senior year. Overall, perceived similarity, rather than demographic similarity, was the most important factor associated with protégé perceptions of high quality mentorship and high quality mentoring was in turn associated with higher commitment to STEM careers. We discuss the implications for mentoring underrepresented students and broadening participation in STEM.

Degrees of Freedom in SEM

Structural equation modeling (SEM) has been a staple of the organizational sciences for decades. It is common to report degrees of freedom ( df) for tested models, and it should be possible for a reader to recreate df for any model in a published paper. We reviewed 784 models from 75 papers published in top journals in order to understand df-related reporting practices and discover how often reported df matched those that we computed based on the information given in the papers. Among other things, we found that both df and the information necessary to compute them were available about three-quarters of the time. We also found that computed df matched reported df only 62% of the time. Discrepancies were particularly common in structural (as opposed to measurement) models and were often large in magnitude. This means that the models for which fit indices are offered are often different from those described in published papers. Finally, we offer an online tool for computing df and recommendations, the Degrees of Freedom Reporting Standards (DFRS), for authors, reviewers, and editors.

Aligning perceptions of mistreatment among incoming medical trainees

BACKGROUND

Learner mistreatment has been a long-standing example of unprofessional behavior in medical training. Alignment of perceptions of professional behavior is a critical component of developing a defined organizational culture. Clinical vignettes addressing learner mistreatment can help to achieve this goal. Our aim was to determine whether using clinical vignettes to address learner mistreatment during onboarding can reduce variability in the perceptions of mistreatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

External experts in the field of labor and employment relations embedded in the clinical learning environment identified six thematic areas of potential mistreatment. Corresponding clinical case vignettes were developed and presented to incoming trainees during the onboarding process, followed by facilitated discussion. Perceptions of mistreatment before and after discussion were assessed on a Likert scale, with results compared using F-test and t-test.

RESULTS

There were 145 participants. Most participants reported previously witnessing or experiencing episodes of mistreatment before matriculation (84%), with the majority reporting multiple events. The most common offenders were faculty (57%), residents/fellows (49%), and nurses (33%). Only 10% of incoming trainees reported a previous incident of mistreatment. Postintervention scores demonstrated decreased variability (P < 0.05) in perceptions of mistreatment in all but one vignette (withholding learning opportunities). Two vignettes demonstrated higher perception of mistreatment after intervention (noneducational tasks and gender or racial discrimination, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Mistreatment remains a prevalent phenomenon in medical training involving a wide cross-section of healthcare providers. Trainees arrive with discordant definitions of mistreatment. Alignment of individuals' definitions can be achieved through the use of carefully crafted clinical vignettes and facilitated discussion.

A New Look at the Role of Insiders in the Newcomer Socialization Process

The purpose of this investigation was to study the effect of socialization-related attitudes and behaviors exhibited by insiders on the development of organizational newcomers. New graduate students, advanced graduate students, and faculty members responded to surveys at two different time periods. Insiders’ attitudes toward socialization were predictive of their involvement in socialization activities. New student involvement in activities that were initiated by faculty members and advanced students was related to role conflict, role ambiguity, and service to the department. Faculty and advanced student attitudes and behaviors, aggregated to the department level, predicted new student departmental service. The authors conclude that the recent call for renewed interest in the role of insiders in the socialization process is warranted.

The impact of supervisor humor on newcomer adjustment

Purpose

– Substantial research has examined the pivotal role of supervisor positive humor in generating employee outcomes. To date, though, little is known about the relationship between supervisor humor and newcomers’ adjustment. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to this gap by examining the effect of supervisor positive humor on newcomers’ adjustment. In doing so, the authors highlighted relational identification with the supervisor as a mediating mechanism that explains the aforementioned association.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were drawn from 117 newcomers. In order to collect the data the authors used the snowball method. Also, hierarchical regression analysis was conducted.

Findings

– The results demonstrated that supervisor positive humor affects employees’ relational identification with the supervisor which, in turn, positively relates to newcomers’ adjustment.

Research limitations/implications

– Data were collected using a cross-sectional design and, therefore, the authors cannot directly assess causality. Moreover, the authors used self-report measures which may strengthen the causal relationships.

Originality/value

– To the best of the knowledge, this is the first study that illustrates the role of supervisor humor in enhancing both newcomers’ relational identification and adjustment.

Onboarding externally hired executives: Avoiding derailment – accelerating contribution

Executive onboarding has become a popular technique in the business world during the past decade. However, the demonstrated success of traditional onboarding practices is mixed. We assert in this article that executive onboarding should be strategic, so that it not only prevents executive derailment, but accelerates contribution to optimize strategic achievement. We review the literature and identify six problematic areas externally hired executives often encounter when transitioning in to new organizations. It is recommended that effective onboarding should be tailored to the targeted organizations and executives to address specific transition issues. We propose a conceptual framework to implement onboarding on a strategic basis. It is hoped that such a review and conceptual discussion will enhance the effectiveness of onboarding experiences and increase the likelihood of success for executives hired from outside the organization.

School-to-work transition and newcomer socialisation: The role of job-related education

This study investigated the interactive effects of on-the-job training (OJT), co-worker support (CWS), and supervisor support (SS) with newcomer job-related education (JRE), on newcomer adjustment. Given that socialisation is a learning process, an important factor in socialisation is job-related knowledge. Although many studies on organisational socialisation drew on new graduates making the school-to-work transition, they have not considered the role of JRE and associated job-related knowledge for socialisation. It was hypothesised that JRE and newcomer information-seeking will moderate the effects of OJT, CWS, and SS on role clarity, role conflict, and role orientation. The study was conducted with a sample 244 business and engineering graduates of an Asian university. Results provide some support for the moderating effects of JRE on role clarity and conflict. It was also found that SS was positively related to newcomer innovative role orientation. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Information‐seeking behaviour

Purpose

Despite more than three decades of studies, the role of information‐seeking during organizational socialization remains ambiguous. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role played by information‐seeking behaviour during the organizational socialization process.

Design/methodology/approach

Two different information‐seeking behaviors (implicit and explicit) were considered as mediators in the relationship between personality (extroversion, openness to experience, conscientiousness), organizational variables (LMX and POS) and organizational socialization outcomes (task mastery, social integration, role ambiguity, role conflict). Analysis carried out with SEM (structural equation modelling) on longitudinal survey data from 316 new police officers during their first six months of work showed interesting results regarding the two hypothesized mediators.

Findings

In particular, the results show that the two information‐seeking behaviors seem to be related to different paths that link personality and social‐exchange variables to organizational outcomes.

Originality/value

The paper's findings provide useful clues for a better understanding of the role of information‐seeking behaviour during the socialization process and highlight the importance of social support in predicting newcomer adjustment.

School-to-work transition and newcomer socialisation: The role of job-related education

This study investigated the interactive effects of on-the-job training (OJT), co-worker support (CWS), and supervisor support (SS) with newcomer job-related education (JRE), on newcomer adjustment. Given that socialisation is a learning process, an important factor in socialisation is job-related knowledge. Although many studies on organisational socialisation drew on new graduates making the school-to-work transition, they have not considered the role of JRE and associated job-related knowledge for socialisation. It was hypothesised that JRE and newcomer information-seeking will moderate the effects of OJT, CWS, and SS on role clarity, role conflict, and role orientation. The study was conducted with a sample 244 business and engineering graduates of an Asian university. Results provide some support for the moderating effects of JRE on role clarity and conflict. It was also found that SS was positively related to newcomer innovative role orientation. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

School-to-work transition and newcomer socialisation: The role of job-related education

This study investigated the interactive effects of on-the-job training (OJT), co-worker support (CWS), and supervisor support (SS) with newcomer job-related education (JRE), on newcomer adjustment. Given that socialisation is a learning process, an important factor in socialisation is job-related knowledge. Although many studies on organisational socialisation drew on new graduates making the school-to-work transition, they have not considered the role of JRE and associated job-related knowledge for socialisation. It was hypothesised that JRE and newcomer information-seeking will moderate the effects of OJT, CWS, and SS on role clarity, role conflict, and role orientation. The study was conducted with a sample 244 business and engineering graduates of an Asian university. Results provide some support for the moderating effects of JRE on role clarity and conflict. It was also found that SS was positively related to newcomer innovative role orientation. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Onboarding externally hired executives: Avoiding derailment – accelerating contribution

Executive onboarding has become a popular technique in the business world during the past decade. However, the demonstrated success of traditional onboarding practices is mixed. We assert in this article that executive onboarding should be strategic, so that it not only prevents executive derailment, but accelerates contribution to optimize strategic achievement. We review the literature and identify six problematic areas externally hired executives often encounter when transitioning in to new organizations. It is recommended that effective onboarding should be tailored to the targeted organizations and executives to address specific transition issues. We propose a conceptual framework to implement onboarding on a strategic basis. It is hoped that such a review and conceptual discussion will enhance the effectiveness of onboarding experiences and increase the likelihood of success for executives hired from outside the organization.

Reducing the new employee learning curve to improve productivity

Effective onboarding is essential to the acclimation and socialization of new healthcare risk management professionals within their new organizations. This acclimation process is a natural extension of employee orientation training. Benefits of effective onboarding include maximizing new employees' full productivity in core functions, thereby recouping the organization's return on investment, and positioning them for enduring success.

Der differenzielle Einfluss der Berufsorientierungen auf Berufserfolg und Arbeitsmotivation

In dieser Studie wurde der langfristige Einfluss der Berufsorientierungen (Karriereorientierung, Freizeitorientierung, alternatives Engagement) auf Indikatoren des extrinsischen Berufserfolgs und der Arbeitsmotivation untersucht. Teilnehmer waren 833 Personen mit wirtschafts- bzw. ingenieur-/naturwissenschaftlichem Studienabschluss, die zum ersten Erhebungszeitpunkt (T1) unmittelbar vor ihrem Abschlussexamen standen und beim zweiten Erhebungszeitpunkt (T2) seit 5.6 Jahren berufstätig waren. Zu T1 wurden die Berufsorientierungen, zu T2 der extrinsische Berufserfolg (Gehalt), motivationale Einstellungen (Job Involvement, Identifikation mit der Organisation) und Engagement (Arbeitszeit, Organizational Citizenship Behavior) erhoben. Eine Mehrgruppen-Pfadanalyse bestätigte, dass sich die Berufsorientierungen insgesamt als valide Prädiktoren erwiesen, wobei in der Gruppe der Wirtschaftswissenschaftler die Karriereorientierung deutlich bedeutsamer für die Ausprägung von motivationalen Einstellungen und Engagement war als in der Gruppe der Natur- und Ingenieurwissenschaftler.

The Effects of Pre‐Entry Career Maturity and Support Networks in Workplace on Newcomers' Mental Health

The present study examined the effects of pre-entry experiences (i.e. career maturity), as well as support networks (i.e. informational and friendship), on newcomers' mental health (i.e. depression, self-esteem, psychosomatic symptoms, and work motivation). We performed a longitudinal study of 890 men and women who first entered the workplace in 2003. Surveys were distributed at two time points: just prior to entering the workplace, and two months after entering. Results indicated that career maturity related positively to newcomers' mental health, and newcomers with high career maturity were more successful in establishing positive relationships with superiors and co-workers. Although, informational support networks positively related to work motivation, friendship networks did not show any direct effects on mental health. These results underscore the crucial roles of career maturity and informational networks in facilitating the transition to the workplace. The results also provide empirical support for an expanded view of the importance of pre-entry experiences to workplace newcomers' mental health.

Self-regulation: from goal orientation to job performance

The authors investigated the effects on job performance of 3 forms of goal orientation and 4 self-regulation (SR) tactics. In a longitudinal field study with salespeople, learning and performance-prove goal orientation predicted subsequent sales performance, whereas performance-avoid goal orientation negatively predicted sales performance. The SR tactics functioned as mediating variables between learning and performance-prove goal orientations and performance. Social competence and proactive behavior directly and positively predicted sales performance, and emotional control negatively predicted performance.