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The transition into a new workplace is one of the most difficult and ubiquitous organizational experiences (Saks and Gruman, 2012). This transition is at the heart of the organizational socialization process, which encompasses employees’ acquisition of and appreciation for “the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their role and function effectively in their new social and organizational environment” (Ellis et al., 2017, p. 993). Facilitating the socialization of newcomers is beneficial to new employees’ well-being, performance and adjustment, as well as to their organizations’ functionality. Failing to socialize newcomers increases negative attitudes, poor performances and ultimately turnover (Cooper‐Thomas and Anderson, 2006; Bigliardi et al., 2005). Scholars have examined the socialization of organizational newcomers for several decades (Ashforth et al., 2007; Kramer and Miller, 2014).
Socialization is increasingly relevant in today’s occupational landscape because turnover occurs more readily (Bauer et al., 2007). On average, American workers change jobs 12 times before their 48th birthdays (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015), leading to more entry experiences. With increased turnover, organizations’ efforts to socialize newcomers are becoming more costly (i.e. finances, time, materials). These costs have led some organizations to turn away from the “intensive, lengthy, offsite socialization programs” traditionally used (Cooper-Thomas and Burke, 2012, p. 56). The decentralization of modern onboarding practices increases the importance of newcomers taking active roles in their own socialization.
Newcomers’ self-socialization can be understood through proactivity, which encompasses the strategic and self-initiated acts that bring change within individuals or environments to foster positive future organizational experiences (Ashford and Black, 1996). Newcomer proactivity involves specific behaviors such as seeking feedback, seeking information, positive framing and general socializing (Ashford and Black, 1996). Proactivity aids in the socialization of organizational newcomers (Ashford and Black, 1996), and may even be more beneficial than organizations’ formal efforts to socialize new employees (Ashforth et al., 2007). With this in mind, scholars often focus on the conditions that facilitate proactivity, especially the role of organizational environments and supportive coworkers (Cooper-Thomas and Burke, 2012). These factors, however, are out of newcomers’ purview and have little prescriptive value for empowering individuals who are transitioning into new workplaces. Likewise, altering these factors requires formal and centralized organizational efforts, which are costly in today’s high-turnover climate. Thus, identifying the...