Developing peer relationships during organizational entry: The case of the contingent worker.

Abstract

This quantitative, field research uses interpersonal relationship theory to conceptualize how new employees engage in mindful activities in order to cultivate relationships with peers when trying to adapt to a new work environment. The study uses contingent work as a context m which to examine the relationship-building activities of employees during entry. Six relationship-building tactics are identified from the interpersonal relationship literature: Self-Disclosure, Joint Activity, Exchange, Ingratiation, Positivity and Animation. I tested a model that proposes that relationship-building tactics affect the information and social support resources obtained by new employees via their peers. The model also proposes that information and social support affect the adjustment outcomes of new employees. A confirmatory factor analysis of data from 532 contingent workers found support for the discriminant and convergent validity of a new measure of relationship-building tactics. Additionally, structural equation modeling found that self-disclosure and ingratiation had a significant and direct impact on information received by newcomers. Results also indicate that self-disclosure, joint activity, and positivity had a significant and direct impact on social support. Finally, the results show that social support is directly related to the adjustment outcomes: satisfaction and willingness to come back.