Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

5-2009

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph. D.

Cooperating University

Western Kentucky University

Department (Legacy)

Department of Leadership, Foundations, and Human Resource Education

Committee Chair

Fiene, Jay

Author's Keywords

Organization socialization; Volunteers; Person-organization fit; Organizational commitment; Job satisfaction; Value congruence; Hospital; Socialization

Subject

Hospitals--Sociological aspects; Hospitals--Employees--Attitudes; Hospitals--Employees--Job satisfaction; Organizational sociology

Abstract

This dissertation examines the entry of volunteers into the culture of hospitals paying particular attention to the relationships among organizational socialization tactics and the outcomes of person-organization fit (P-O fit), organizational commitment, and job satisfaction. Using a correlation study design, the researcher collected data from hospital volunteers in Western Kentucky. The survey was distributed to 230 volunteers at six different hospitals in Western Kentucky. Of the 230 volunteers who received the survey at various volunteer meetings, the researcher collected 180 usable surveys, yielding a 78.2% return rate. The investigation's survey used items selected from three different scales measuring organization socialization tactics (Jones, 1986), organization commitment (Meyer, Allen & Smith, 1993), and volunteer satisfaction (Galindo-Kuhn & Guzley, 2001). Items measuring perceived P-O fit were modeled after the works of others (Cable & De Rue, 2002; Cable & Judge, 1996). The research question framing the investigation was the following: What impact do organization socialization activities have on volunteer (i.e., unpaid) organization member perceptions of P-O fit, organization commitment, and job satisfaction. An examination of research findings suggest when the hospitals in this investigation used collective, formal, investiture, sequential, and serial socialization tactics, a positive relationship existed between these institutionalized socialization tactics and volunteer perceptions of P-O fit, organization commitment, and job satisfaction. Hence, when these organizations provided socialization experiences in which new volunteers experienced common learning experiences, were separated from other organization members while learning their new role, confirmed volunteer values and characteristics, provided identifiable phases of learning, and allowed experienced volunteers to act as role models, these socialization tactics positively related to volunteer perceptions of value congruence (i.e., P-O fit), organization commitment, and job satisfaction.

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