Predictors of Organizational Socialization of Instructors in Higher Education

Predictors of Organizational Socialization of Instructors in Higher Education

This study aims to investigate the relationship between organizational socialization and various organizational (type of university, training, work conditions, knowledge sharing) and individual (academic degree, teaching experience, length of employment at current work place, job satisfaction, commitment, self-efficacy) level factors, both factors taken together focusing on the content, context and process dimensions of socialization. For this aim, data from 737 public and private university English language instructors were collected with an inventory consisting of three parts made up of self-developed and pre-developed scales. Taking each dimension of organizational socialization as a criterion variable, three sets of predictors were defined for three separate hierarchical regression analyses. The results revealed that socialization of instructors to the organization, department, and task are significantly predicted by several organizational and individual variables. Knowledge sharing and training are the strongest organizational level predictors while job satisfaction, selfefficacy for instructional strategies, and affective commitment are the strongest individual level predictors. The results suggest higher education administrators adapt organizational and individual level managerial strategies to facilitate organizational, department and task socialization in higher education organizations

___

  • Allen, N. J., & Meyer, J. P. (1990). The measurement and antecedents of affective, continuance and normative commitment to the organization. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 63, 1-18.
  • doi:10.1111/j.2044-8325.1990.tb00506.x Allen, T. D., McManus, S. E., & Russell, J. E. (1999). Newcomer socialization and stress: Formal peer relationships as a source of support. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 54, 453-470. doi:10.1006/jvbe.1998.1674
  • Angelides, P., & Mylordou, A. (2011). The beneficial outcome of a successful mentoring relationship: The development of inclusive education. Teacher Development, 15(4), 533-547.
  • Ashford, S. J., & Cummings, L. L. (1985). Proactive feedback seeking: The instrumental use of the information environment. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 58, 61-79.
  • Balfour, D. L., & Wechsler, B. (1990). Organizational commitment: A reconceptualization and empirical test of public-private difference. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 10, 23-40.
  • Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
  • Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W. H. Freeman and Company.
  • Bandura, A., & Wood, R. E. (1989). Effect of perceived controllability and performance standards on self-regulation of complex decision-making. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 805-814.
  • Bauer, T. N., Bodner, T., Erdogan, B., Truxillo, D. T., & Tucker, J. S. (2007). Newcomer adjustment during organizational socialization: A meta-analytic review of antecedents, outcomes, and methods.
  • Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 707-721. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.707 Birnbaum, R. (1988). How colleges work: The cybernetics of academic organizations and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • Boswell, W. R., Shipp, A. J., Payne, S. C., & Culbertson, S. S. (2009). Changes in newcomer job satisfaction over time: Examining the pattern of honeymoons and hangovers. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(4), 844-858. doi:10.1037/a0014975
  • Boyer, E. L., Altbach, P. G., & Whitelaw, M. J. (1994). The academic profession: An international perspective.
  • Princeton, NJ: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen, & J. S.
  • Long (Eds.), Testing Structural Equation Models (pp. 136-162). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
  • Caldwell, D. F., Chatman, J. A., & O’Reilly, C. A. (1990). Building organizational commitment: A multifirm study. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 63(3), 245-261.
  • Cawyer, C. S., Simonds, C., & Davis, S. (2002). Mentoring to facilitate socialization: The case of the new faculty member. Qualitative Studies in Education, 15(2), 225-242.
  • Chao, G. T., O'Leary-Kelly, A. M., Wolf, S., Klein, H. J., & Gardner, P. D. (1994). Organizational socialization: Its content and consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 79(5), 730-743.
  • Chatman, J. A. (1991). Matching people and organizations: Selection and socialization in public accounting firms. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35, 459-484
  • Çapa-Aydın, Y., Çakıroğlu, J., & Sarıkaya, H. (2005). The development and validation of a Turkish version of the teachers’ sense of efficacy scale. Education and Science, 30(137), 74-81.
  • Coladarci, T. (1992). Teachers' sense of effficacy and commitment to teaching. Journal of Experimental Education, 60, 323-337.
  • Dewitte, H., & De Cuyper, N. (2003). Towards a positive perspective on well-being: Investigating the positive engagement of the Flemish employee. In W. Herremans (Ed.), The Flemish Labour Market: Report Flemish Labour Market Day (pp. 115-138). Leuven: LeuvenUniversity Press.
  • Feldman, D. C. (1989). Socialization, resocialization, and training: Reframing the research agenda. In I.L.
  • Goldstein (Ed.), Training and development in organization (pp. 376-416). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • Field, A. (2009). Discovering statistics using SPSS (3rd ed.). London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
  • Gist, M. E., Stevens, C. K., & Bavetta, A. G. (1991). Effects of self-efficacy and post-training intervention on the acquisition and maintenance of complex interpersonal skills. Personnel Psychology, 44, 837- 861.
  • Glickman, C. D., & Tamashiro, R. T. (1982). A comparison of first-year, fifth-year, and former teachers on efficacy, ego development, and problem solving. Psychology in the Schools, 19, 558-562.
  • Greenberg, J., & Baron, R. A. (1993). Behavior in organizations: Understanding and managing the human side of work. Needham Heights: Allyn and Bacon.
  • Gür, G. (2008). A study on the predictors of teachers’ sense of efficacy beliefs (Unpublished master’s thesis). Middle East Technical University, Institute of Social Science, Graduate School of Social Sciences, Ankara.
  • Hair, J. F. Jr., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis (7th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
  • Haser, Ç., & Kondakçı, Y. (2011). Genç öğretim elemanlarının mesleki toplumsallaşması ve akademik kimlik algılarının incelenmesi (Project Report). Ankara: TUBITAK.
  • Haueter, J. A., Macan, T. H., & Winter, J. (2003). Measurement of newcomer socialization: Construct validation of a multidimensional scale. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 63, 20-39. doi:10.1016/S0001- 8791(02)00017-9
  • Hrebiniak, L. G., & Alutto, J. A. (1972). Personal and role-related factors in the development of organizational commitment. Administrative Science Quarterly, 17, 555-573.
  • Hu, L. T., & Bentler, T. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modelling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6, 1-55. doi:10.1080/10705519909540118
  • Hulpia, H., & Devos, G. (2010). Exploring the link between distributed leadership and job satisfaction of school leaders. Educational Studies, 35(2), 153-171. doi:10.1080/03055690802648739
  • Iqbal, S., Toulson, P., & Tweed, D. (2011, October). HRM practices and individual knowledge-Sharing. An empirical study of higher education institutions in Pakistan. Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Intellectal Management and Organizational Learning. Banghok, Thailand.
  • Jablin, F. M. (1982). Organizational communication: An assimilation approach. In M. E. Roloff, & C. R.
  • Berger (Eds.), Social cognition and communication (pp. 255-286). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
  • Johnsrud, L. K., & Heck, R. H. (1998). Faculty worklife: Establishing benchmarks across groups. Research in Higher Education, 39(5), 539-555.
  • Jones, G. R. (1986). Socialization tactics, self-efficacy, and newcomers’ adjustments to organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 29, 262-279.
  • Ketchand, A. A., & Strawser, J. R. (2001). Multiple dimensions of organizational commitment: Implications for future accounting research. Behavioral Research in Accounting, 13, 221-253.
  • Kramer, W. K. (2010). Organizational socialization: Joining and leaving organizations. UK: Polity Press.
  • Leistner, F. (2010). Mastering organizational knowledge flow: How to make knowledge sharing work. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Inc.
  • Locke, E. A. (1976). The nature and causes of job satisfaction. In M. D. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 1293-1349). Chicago, IL: Rand McNally.
  • Louis, M. R. (1980). Surprise and sense making: What newcomers experience in entering unfamiliar organizational settings. Administrative Science Quarterly, 25, 226-234.
  • Louis, M. R. (1990). Acculturation in the workplace: Newcomers as lay ethnographers. In B. Schneider (Ed.), Organizational climate and culture (pp. 85-129). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • Louis, M. R., Posner, B. Z., & Powell, G. N. (1983). The availability and helpfulness of socialization practices. Personnel Psychology, 36, 857-866.
  • Mathieu, J. E., & Zajac, D. M. (1990). A review and meta-analysis of the antecedents, correlates, and consequences of organizational commitment. Psychological Bulletin, 108(2), 171-194.
  • Menard, S. (1995). Applied logistic regression analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
  • Meyer, J. P., Allen, N. J., & Smith, C. A. (1993). Commitment to organizations and occupations: Extension and test of a three-component conceptualization. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 538-551.
  • doi:10.1037/0021-9010.78.4.538 Miller, V. D., & Jablin, F. M. (1991). Information seeking during organizational entry: Influences, tactics, and a model of the process. Academy of Management Review, 16(1), 92-120.
  • Moon, M. J. (2000). Organizational commitment revisited in new public management: Motivation, organizational culture, sector, and managerial level. Public Performance and Management Review, 24, 177-194. doi:10.2307/3381267
  • Nelson, D. L., & Quick, J. C. (1991). Social support and newcomer adjustment in organizations: Attachment theory at work?. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 12(6), 543-554.
  • O’Reilly, C. A., & Chatman, J. (1986). Organizational commitment and psychological attachment: The effects of compliance, identification, and internalization on prosocial behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71, 492-499.
  • Ok, B. (2007). Correlates of organizational commitment: A special emphasis on organizational communication (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Middle East Technical University, Graduate School of Social Sciences, Ankara.
  • Ostroff, C., & Kozlowski, S. W. J. (1992). Organizational socialization as a learning process: The role of information acquisition. Personnel Psychology, 45, 849-874.
  • Ostroff, C., & Kozlowski, S. W. J. (1993). The role of mentoring in the information gathering processes of newcomers during early organizational socialization. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 42, 170-183.
  • Roehrig, A. D., Bohn, C. M., Turner, J. E., & Pressley, M. (2008). Mentoring beginning primary teachers for exemplary teaching practices. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(3), 684-702.
  • Saks, A. M. (1996). The relationship between the amount and helpfulness of entry training and work outcomes. Human Relations, 49, 429-451.
  • Saks, A. M., & Ashforth, B. E. (1997). Organizational socialization: Making sense of the past and present as a prologue for the future. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 51, 234-279.
  • doi:10.1006/jvbe.1997.1614 Saks, A. M., Uggerslev, K. L., & Fassina, N. E. (2007). Socialization tactics and newcomer adjustment: A meta-analytic review and test of a model. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 70, 413-446.
  • doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2006.12.004 Schein, E. H. (1985). Organizational culture and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • Schein, E. H. (1968). Organizational socialization and the profession of management. Industrial Management Review, 9, 1-15.
  • Spector, P. E. (1997). Job satisfaction: Application, assessment, causes and consequences. California: Sage Publications Inc.
  • Steinhaus, C. S., & Perry, J. L. (1996). Organizational commitment: Does sector matter?. Public Productivity & Management Review, 19(3), 278-288.
  • Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2007). Using multivariate statistics (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Allyn & Bacon.
  • Tidwell, M., & Sias, P. (2005). Personality and information seeking: Understanding how traits influence information-seeking behaviors. Journal of Business Communication, 42(1), 51-77.
  • doi:10.1177/0021943604272028 Tierney, W. G. (1997). Organizational socialization in higher education. Journal of Higher Education, 68(1), 1-16.
  • Thomas, H. D. C., & Anderson, N. (1998). Changes in newcomers’ psychological contracts during organizational socialization: A study of British recruits entering the British Army. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 19, 745-767.
  • Trowler, P., & Knight, P. T. (1999). Organizational socialization and induction in universities: Reconceptualizing theory and practice. Higher Education, 37, 177-195.
  • Tschannen-Moran, M., & Woolfolk-Hoy, A. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17(7), 783-805. doi:10.1016/S0742-051X(01)00036-1 Ünüvar, T. G. (2006). An integrative model of job characteristics, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and organizational citizenship behavior (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Middle East Technical University, Graduate School of Social Sciences, Ankara. Van Maanen, J., & Schein, E. H. (1977). Toward a theory of organizational socialization. In B. Staw (Ed.),
  • Annual review of research in organizational behaviour (Vol. 1). Greenwich, CN: JIP Press. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/1934
  • YÖK. (2015). Öğretim elemanı istatistikleri: Öğretim elemanı sayıları. Retrieved from https://istatistik.yok.gov.tr/
  • Wasti, S. A. (2003). Organizational commitment, turnover intentions and the influence of cultural values. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 76, 303-321.
  • Wharton, R., Potter, P., & Parry, L. (2004). Keeping the faculty: Issues of socialization, justice, and commitment to the workplace. The Journal of Behavioral and Applied Management, 6(1), 4-20.
  • Widen-Wulff, G. (2007). The challenges of knowledge sharing in practice: A social approach. Oxford: Chandos Publishing.
  • Wiener, Y. (1982). Commitment in organizations: A normative view. Academy of Management Review, 7 (3), 418-428.
  • Wiener, Y. (1988). Forms of value systems: A focus on organizational effectiveness and cultural change and maintenance. Academy of Management Review, 13(4), 534-545.
  • Wanous, J. P., & Lawler, E. E. (1972). Measurement and meaning of job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 56, 95-105.
  • Zeffane, R. (1994). Patterns of organizational commitment and perceived management style: A comparison of public and private sector employees. Human Relations, 47, 977-1010.