Comparing newcomer proactive behaviors: Direct inquiry and changing work procedures

Previous studies examining newcomer socialization have underlined the importance of proactive behaviors in aiding the adjustment of newcomers to an organization. However, few studies have focused on the effects of different types of proactive behaviors. In this study, we examine different proactive behaviors in the person-environment fit domain and investigate its impact on newcomer learning and ultimately newcomer performance and mental health. Specifically, we focus on direct inquiry and changing work procedure and propose that direct inquiry results in more learning while changing work procedure results in less learning, which is also a mediating mechanism for performance and mental health. To test our model, we use a 2-wave multi-source dataset of newcomers. This study contributes to the literature on proactive behavior of newcomers by identifying differences between proactive behaviors in the person-environment domain and further understanding the behaviors that newcomers can take to be successfully integrated into an organization.