Dissertation
An explanatory sequential mixed methods study: examining the effects of an onboarding training program on organizational socialization and commitment in a Middle Eastern energy company
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
Sep 2020
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00000123
Abstract
This study examined and explored the effects of an organizational onboarding training program on the organizational socialization and organizational commitment of recent university graduates of national origin newly hired by a Middle Eastern energy company. Organizational onboarding training influences new employees' socialization into and their attitudes toward the organization, such as their emotional attachment to the organization, known as affective commitment. Employee onboarding, organizational socialization, and organizational commitment have been shown to lead to positive outcomes for the organization, such as increased employee engagement and retention. Nevertheless, corporate onboarding training programs have not been widely examined for their effectiveness, particularly within the context of a single organization. Whereas most studies related to organizational socialization and organizational commitment rely solely on survey-based quantitative data, this study used an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, first collecting quantitative data and then using qualitative data to expand on the quantitative results. In the first phase of the study, online quantitative survey data were collected from onboarding training program graduates to examine their organizational socialization and organizational commitment. In the second phase of the study, audio-only online semistructured qualitative interviews with program graduates were carried out to explore the ways in which participation in the onboarding training program contributed to subjects' organizational socialization and organizational commitment. Understanding the onboarding training program's effects on the organizational socialization and organizational commitment of new employees helps training managers identify and act on the program's strengths and areas for improvement. This study also offers a unique contribution to the literature of employee onboarding, organizational socialization, and organizational commitment, as it was conducted in a company within a specific geographic region-the Middle East-in a specific economic sector-the energy industry. Its findings are useful to similar organizations seeking to implement new onboarding training programs or benchmark and improve existing onboarding training programs. Finally, this explanatory sequential mixed methods study provides researchers, practitioners, and organizations with a broader understanding of how onboarding training affects the organizational socialization and organizational commitment of new employees in different types of organizations in various sectors worldwide.
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Details
- Title
- An explanatory sequential mixed methods study
- Creators
- Brian L. Clouse
- Contributors
- Joyce A. Pittman (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- xii, 217 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991014695536904721