THE INFLUENCE OF THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SUPERIOR ON NEWCOMERS’ ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTIFICATION AND AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT

Abstract

Organizations invest large amounts of money in the
socialization process of newcomer employees with the
objective of forming desired attitudes and behaviors.
However, factors that foster these positive outcomes
remain relatively unknown. Even if according to
research on organizational socialization, one of
those key factors is social support from the superior,
to our knowledge there is no empirical evidence
concerning the impact of the superior on organizational identification and affective commitment
of newcomer employees. Our mixed method study
based on 20 interviews and 335 questionnaires, is
conducted in a French Air Force training center of
young non-commissioned officers. We particularly
emphasize the impact of perceived competence of the
superior on organizational identification and affective
commitment of newcomers. Our study also reveals
the absence of a direct relationship between the trustworthiness of the superior and affective commitment
of new recruits; organizational identification acting
as mediator between these two variables. Finally, it
establishes the existence of a negative relationship
between interpersonal justice and organizational
identification of newcomer employees.