Social support and newcomer adjustment in organizations: Attachment theory at work?

Abstract

Social support has been suggested as important for newcomer adjustment to an organization. The present paper reports a longitudinal study of 91 newcomers to three separate organizations. The effects of availability and helpfulness of 10 sources of social support on newcomers reports of psychological distress, satisfaction, intention to leave, and their supervisors assessment of their performance rating (N of supervisors = 41; n of ratings = 91) were examined. The availability of support activities such as offsite training sessions and business trips were found to be associated with decreased psychological symptoms. Helpfulness of various relationship supports were associated with positive adjustment. These results are discussed within the context of attachment theory and our knowledge of social support in work settings.

Going to College and Unpacking Hazing: A Functional Approach to Decrypting Initiation Practices Among Undergraduates.

“…Others, however, have welcomed attempts at a synthesis. In particular, Hazan and Zeifman (1999), Shaver et al (1988), Nelson and Quick (1991), Baumeister and Leary (1995), Aberbach (1995), and Smith et al (1999Smith et al ( , 2001) have all made cogent arguments for a distillation of the basic brew of motives and proclivities that fuel human social bonds across contexts and lifetimes.…”

Managing work‐life conflict among information technology workers

“…Empirical work in this area demonstrates that individuals in mentoring relationships experience less work-family conflict (Nielson, Carlson, & Lankau, 2001), adapt to new roles more effectively, and feel more attached to the organization (Heimann & Pittenger, 1996;King et al, 2005;Nelson & Quick, 1991;Ostroff & Kozlowski, 1992). Thus, by connecting new entrants to more experienced IT personnel, organizations are able to communicate to newcomers valuable information about the expectations of the job and how these expectations can best be met, thereby providing them with specific strategies for achieving work-life balance.…”

Modeling Corporate Citizenship, Organizational Trust, and Work Engagement Based on Attachment Theory

“…The organization may often serve as the attachment figure. In order for the relationship between employees and their organization to evoke attachment dynamics, the relationship must involve some types of affectional bond (e.g., corporate citizenship) (e.g., Keller and Cacioppe, 2001). Attachment theory is based on the premise that human beings, like many other animals, have a natural inclination to make and maintain lasting affectional bonds -or attachments -to familiar, irreplaceable organizations (Sable, 2008), and once established the quality, security, and stability of the ties are likely to lead to individuals' belief and work behavior in the organization (e.g., Nelson and Quick, 1991) such as work engagement and organizational trust. In other words, given important ties with their organization, employees' work engagement and organizational trust are likely influenced by various dimensions of corporate citizenship shown by the organization, as is introduced in detail as follows.…”