Anchored on the "uncertainty reduction by learning" perspective, most research on organizational socialization has emphasized the role of information acquisition in newcomers' socialization, stressing that the more information newcomers acquire, the more effective the socialization process will be. However, not all of the new information is compatible with the newcomers' previous experience. The learning approach fails to explain and predict the whole story of organizational socialization because the approach does not substantively address the different natures characterizing the information that newcomers receive in work settings: namely, the compatibility and the incompatibility with the newcomers' previous experience. As a result, research on the mechanisms of organizational socialization has not sufficiently explained the aspect of newcomers' adaptation in socialization. / Keywords: socialization, primary control, secondary control, p-o fit / To fill in this void, this dissertation has proposed and tested a model examining the consequences and antecedents of three parallel mechanisms of socialization processes from both the socialization-learning perspective and the control perspective. On top of previous socialization-content mechanisms deriving from the socialization-learning approach, the control perspective explains how newcomers deal with incompatible information during their early organizational experiences by introducing two coping mechanisms: primary control and secondary control. Moreover, this dissertation examines the different effects of learning, primary control, and secondary control on different adaptation outcomes, such as performance, person-organization fit, job stress, and turnover intention. To further investigate certain organizational factors through which the three socialization mechanisms, especially primary and secondary control, are activated, I have introduced a new concept: organizational secure base. I have argued that an organization's secure base can help newcomers develop a secure attachment to their organization and can, in tum, lead to different usages of the primary and secondary control strategies. / To test the hypothesized relationships in the model, I conducted two studies. In study one, I developed and validated two scales for primary control and secondary control in an organizational context. In study two, I conducted a time-lag study with a sample of 150 newcomers from three organizations. Results of study two support my argument that there are several parallel socialization-process mechanisms, which function together to affect adaptation outcomes. Most ofthe hypotheses concerning the distinct consequences of each of the three parallel mechanisms were supported. Organizational secure base was also found to be an important organizational factor for newcomers' adaptation. Implications for theory and managerial practices, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. / Jiang, Yan. / Adviser: Kenneth S. Law. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-03, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-113). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest dissertations and theses, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract and appendix B also in Chinese; appendix C in Chinese only.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:cuhk.edu.hk/oai:cuhk-dr:cuhk_344929 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Contributors | Jiang, Yan, Chinese University of Hong Kong Graduate School. Division of Business Administration. |
| Source Sets | The Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| Language | English, Chinese, Chinese |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, theses |
| Format | electronic resource, microform, microfiche, 1 online resource (4, iii, 144 leaves : ill.) |
| Rights | Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons “Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International” License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) |
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