First experiences with a company impact a worker’s adaptability

A new survey has shown that workers are much better at adapting to career transitions in the same company if they feel connected to it from the start.

The Durham University Business School research has revealed that training, mentorship and other socialisation tactics (when they are put into practice at the start of an employee’s journey within a company) all create a better connection for a worker.

These findings come from research conducted by Yanjun Guan, Lanyue Fan and Zehua Li, all from Durham University Business School, alongside colleagues from Leeds University Business School, UK, and Shandong University, Shenzhen University, Peking University, and Shandong Normal University, all based in China.

Professor Yanjun Guan said, “In a career world characterised by increasing job mobility and frequent career transitions, an individual’s ability to cope with changes plays a critical role in facilitating individuals’ adaptation in their career transitions.

“Often it is thought that the ability to be adaptable comes from a person’s own characteristics, previous experiences or personality, but our research clearly shows that an effective onboarding strategy designed around key socialisation tactics can actually make new employees more adaptable to future transitions.”

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