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The "double-edged sword" effects of career support mentoring on newcomer turnover: How and when it helps or hurts.

Deng, Hong; Guan, Yanjun; Zhou, Xinyi; Li, Yixuan; Cai, Di; Li, Nan; Liu, Bing

The "double-edged sword" effects of career support mentoring on newcomer turnover: How and when it helps or hurts. Thumbnail


Authors

Profile image of Hong Deng

Hong Deng hong.deng@durham.ac.uk
Honorary Professor

Xinyi Zhou xinyi.zhou@durham.ac.uk
PGR Student Doctor of Philosophy

Yixuan Li

Di Cai

Nan Li nan.li2@durham.ac.uk
Research Assistant/Associate

Bing Liu



Abstract

Research on mentoring programs has portrayed them almost exclusively beneficial for newcomer retention. Drawing from the social cognitive model of career management and the boundaryless career perspective, we depart from this predominant view and examine the "double-edged sword" effects of career support mentoring on newcomer turnover. We propose that career support mentoring received by newcomers is likely to elicit both internal proactive socialization and external career self-management, which act as countervailing forces driving newcomer turnover in opposite directions (i.e., the retention pathway and the unintended detrimental pathway). We further propose that the organizational role of the mentor-supervisor versus nonsupervisor-is critical in determining which pathway prevails. We conducted two multiwave newcomer studies to test our hypotheses. In Study 1 ( = 495), we found that received career support mentoring was associated with lower newcomer turnover probability through the serial mediation of internal proactive socialization and perceived internal marketability but higher newcomer turnover probability through the serial mediation of external career self-management and perceived external marketability. In Study 2 ( = 193), we found that received career support mentoring was associated with lower newcomer turnover intention through the serial mediation of internal career advancement expectation and internal proactive socialization but higher newcomer turnover intention through the serial mediation of external career advancement expectation and external career self-management. In both studies, the unintended detrimental pathway was significant only when a newcomer's mentor was not a supervisor. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Citation

Deng, H., Guan, Y., Zhou, X., Li, Y., Cai, D., Li, N., & Liu, B. (2023). The "double-edged sword" effects of career support mentoring on newcomer turnover: How and when it helps or hurts. Journal of Applied Psychology, 109(7), 1094-1114. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001143

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Oct 1, 2023
Online Publication Date Oct 12, 2023
Publication Date Oct 12, 2023
Deposit Date Dec 21, 2023
Publicly Available Date Dec 21, 2023
Journal Journal of Applied Psychology
Print ISSN 0021-9010
Electronic ISSN 1939-1854
Publisher American Psychological Association
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 109
Issue 7
Pages 1094-1114
DOI https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001143
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1863065

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