Socialization resources theory and newcomers’ work engagement

Abstract

Purpose Although work engagement has become an important topic in management, relatively little attention has been given to newcomers’ work engagement in the socialization literature. The purpose of this paper is to explain how newcomers’ work engagement can fluctuate during the first year of organizational entry and the role of organizational socialization in developing and maintaining high levels of newcomers’ work engagement. Design/methodology/approach A review of the socialization literature indicates that uncertainty reduction theory has been the basis of research on socialization tactics and newcomer information-seeking both of which function by providing newcomers with information to reduce uncertainty. Socialization resources theory is used to develop a new pathway to newcomer socialization which focuses on providing newcomers with resources during the first year of organizational entry and socialization. Findings The uncertainty reduction pathway to newcomer socialization is narrow and limited because it primarily focuses on minimizing and reducing the negative effects of job demands rather than on providing newcomers with resources that are necessary to facilitate work engagement and socialization. Practical implications Organizations can use newcomers’ work engagement maintenance curves to map and track fluctuations in newcomers’ work engagement during the first year of organizational entry and they can conduct an audit of socialization resources to determine what resources are required to develop and maintain high levels of newcomers’ work engagement. Originality/value This paper describes newcomer work engagement maintenance curves and explains how socialization resources can be used to develop and maintain high levels of newcomers’ work engagement. A model of a new pathway to newcomer socialization is developed in which socialization resources, personal resources, and job demands influence newcomers’ work engagement and socialization outcomes.

The Effect of Positive Working Conditions on Work Engagement and Teaching Classroom Practices: A Large Cross-Sectional Study in Switzerland

“…Concerning the relationship between the psychological resources and work engagement (H1), our results support the idea that a good appraisal of “psychological resources linked to the working environment” was a promoting factor in work engagement in terms of dedication, absorption, and vigor. These results are in line with current literature demonstrating that job resources (Bakker et al, 2007), social support (Saks and Gruman, 2018), and autonomy (Heyns and Rothmann, 2018), might positively affect levels of engagement. Contrary to our expectation (H2), the direct effect of work engagement on teaching practices was small and not statistically significant.…”

Tackling Taboo Topics: A Review of the ThreeMs in Working Women’s Lives

“…Female workers are entering the workforce at this age, when menstruation is most likely to be distressing. The primary goal for these workforce newcomers is adaptation—processing new information and challenges, managing stress, creating a positive impression, and building social capital and relationships (e.g., Collins & Stevens, 2002; Saks & Gruman, 2018; Whitely, Dougherty, & Dreher, 1992). Thus, newcomers must learn quickly and build relationships with peers and supervisors; however, the beliefs and experiences of menstruation appear incongruent with such goals (see Figure 1).…”

“…More recent work found that dual-task performance (i.e., performing a cognitive task at the same time as another task) was not affected across the menstrual cycle (Ni, Hazzard, & Smith, 2018), and Sundström-Poromaa (2018: 349) noted that “the overall conclusion is that the menstrual cycle differences in sexually dimorphic cognitive tasks are small and difficult to replicate.” In fact, only 28.8% of Italian women surveyed agreed that menstruation interfered with work focus (Ferrero et al, 2006). Yet, daily menstrual pain was related to feeling mentally depleted among U.S. women (Motro et al, 2019), which may be particularly problematic for young workers, who are more likely to feel discomfort while menstruating (László & Kopp, 2009) and need their full cognitive capacity to learn and develop new skills (e.g., Saks & Gruman, 2018).…”

Influência da Socialização Organizacional sobre o Comprometimento Organizacional: Um Estudo de Caso na Polícia Militar de Sergipe

“…Pesquisas sobre socialização e comprometimento organizacional trouxeram grandes contribuições, tanto no sentido de esclarecimento acerca dos construtos, quanto à disponibilização de instrumentos de medida válidos e consistentes (Allen, Eby, Chao, & Bauer, 2017;Moyson, Raapshorst, Groeneveld, & Van de Walle, 2018;Saks & Gruman, 2018). No que se refere à investigação destes fenômenos no contexto das organizações militares ou organizações policiais, as pesquisas (Dick, 2011;Rodrigues & Bastos, 2013;Wortmeyer, 2007) se dedicaram a entendê-los isoladamente, ou seja, concentraram-se em compreender ou os processos de socialização organizacional, ou os de comprometimento, de modo que se observa uma carência de estudos que investiguem a natureza correlacional desses fenômenos nesse contexto organizacional em específico.…”