On Becoming (Un)Committed: A Taxonomy and Test of Newcomer Onboarding Scenarios

How does the bond between the newcomer and the organization develop over time? Process research on temporal patterns of newcomer’s early commitment formation has been very scarce because theory and appropriate longitudinal research designs in this area are lacking. From extant research we extract three process-theoretical accounts regarding how the newcomer adjustment process evolves over time: (1) Learning to Love; (2) Honeymoon Hangover; and (3) High Match, Moderate Match, or Low Match. From these scenarios we develop a taxonomy of newcomer adjustment scenarios. Further, we empirically verify these different scenarios by examining naturally occurring “trajectory classes,” which are found to display strengthening, weakening, or stabilizing of the employee–organization linkage. For this, we use a sample of 72 Ph.D. graduates whose organizational commitment history was recorded in their first 25 consecutive weeks of new employment. In closing, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the scenario-based approach.