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Relocation attitudes and adjustment: A longitudinal study
Author(s) -
Fisher Cynthia D.,
Shaw James B.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of organizational behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.938
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1099-1379
pISSN - 0894-3796
DOI - 10.1002/job.4030150304
Subject(s) - relocation , ambiguity , psychology , social psychology , affect (linguistics) , sample (material) , job satisfaction , philosophy , linguistics , chemistry , communication , chromatography , computer science , programming language
This study identified correlates of attitude toward an impending employer‐initiated relocation, then followed up by predicting post‐transfer attitude and adjustment difficulty in the same sample. Predictors suggested by past research on mobility attitudes (i.e. demographic characteristics and attributes of the pre‐move location) were less important in explaining pre‐move attitude toward the transfer than were expected attributes of the new location. After the move, experienced aspects of the new location such as role ambiguity, degree of advancement, and community and job satisfaction were the strongest predictors of overall post‐move attitude and adjustment difficulty. In many cases, pre‐move expectations about attributes of the new location were not related to affect or adjustment after the move, suggesting that pre‐move expectations may have been inaccurate. Implications for theory, research, and organizational practice are discussed.