Navigating Uncharted Waters

Abstract

Although the stress and socialization literatures have flourished over the past several decades, they have done so largely independently, and our understanding of the cost of stress to organizations in the form of newcomer turnover, lowered adjustment, and the health and well-being of newcomers is largely unknown. This review takes an explicitly newcomer-centric perspective toward the socialization process by examining newcomer experiences through the lens of popular models of work stress, including the job demands-resources model, the transactional theory of stress, and the challenge-hindrance stressor framework. In doing so, we identify individual and work-related factors that contribute to the experience of stress for newcomers and point to ways in which organizational and employee-driven inputs can assist in building and acquiring important resources needed to cope with the demands faced in a new work role. In addition, we offer a framework that incorporates individual experiences and behaviors as they relate to newcomer stress in the context of socialization. This framework delineates the newcomer stress appraisal process and describes the impact these appraisals have on the experience of stress or engagement for new employees as well as the behaviors that can be expected in reaction to those states. Through this process, our review highlights natural points for integration between stress and socialization research and identifies potential areas for future investigation that leverage understanding of work stress to expand socialization theory and practice.

Pathways through organizational socialization: A longitudinal qualitative study based on the psychological contract

“…Organizational socialization has been defined as 'the process through which a new organizational employee adapts from an outsider to integrated and effective insider' (Cooper- Thomas & Anderson, 2006, p. 492), which is at its most intense in the initial weeks and months after entry (Van Maanen & Schein, 1979). Socialization has been characterized as a time of insecurity, during which newcomers attempt to cope with (Ellis et al, 2015) and reduce (e.g., Lester, 1987)…”

Increasing Proactive Coping in Organizational Newcomers: Improving Job Adaptation or Rocking the Boat?

“…As entering a new organization is a considerable source of stress (Ellis et al, 2015), increasing proactive coping strategies is a promising candidate for improving the socialization of organizational newcomers (Greenglass & Fiskenbaum, 2009;Searle & Lee, 2015). Effective interventions on proactive coping have been successfully developed and implemented in different contexts, for example, preparation of aging (Bode, de Ridder, Kuijer, & Bensing, 2007) or self-care behaviors (Thoolen, de Ridder, Bensing, Gorter, & Rutten, 2007).…”

“…Therefore, Saks and Gruman (2012) argued that understanding socialization from a stressoriented perspective is important. Ellis et al (2015) also called for a stress-based view on socialization and proposed that resources contribute to the socialization process because they provide means for coping with the challenges of organizational entry. Searle and Lee (2015) introduced proactive coping as a personal resource in an expanded job demands-resources model (Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner, & Schaufeli, 2001) and argued that "proactive coping ought to be a particularly effective strategy for managing work demands" (p. 417).…”

“…Following both a stress-oriented perspective on organizational socialization (Ellis et al, 2015) and the call of Gruman and Saks (2011) for interventions that foster a proactive orientation, we present an intervention to enhancing proactive coping of organizational newcomers, and we assess its effectiveness. We expect that fostering proactive coping should result in organizational adaptation, and therefore we address proximal and distal socialization outcomes, namely, an increase in role clarity and reduction of intention to quit (Ellis et al, 2015;Wanberg, 1997). Moreover, existing research has indicated that pre-entrance experiences might have an influence on socialization (e.g., Stephens & Dailey, 2012).…”

Time‐based differences in the effects of positive and negative affectivity on perceived supervisor support and organizational commitment among newcomers

“…The influence of supervisors is exerted in part through supportive behaviors. Supervisory support is all the more important for newcomers' work adjustment that the entry period is characterized by uncertainty (Ellis et al, 2015;Jones, 1986;Miller & Jablin, 1991). Due to frequent interactions with employees, supervisors are primary sources of support perceptions (Maertz Jr, Griffeth, Campbell, & Allen, 2007), and as they represent the organization (Eisenberger, Stinglhamber, Vandenberghe, Sucharski, & Rhoades, 2002), such support likely drives organizational commitment (e.g., Casper, Harris, Taylor-Bianco, & Wayne, 2011;Ng & Sorensen, 2008).…”