Coupling High Self‐Perceived Creativity and Successful Newcomer Adjustment in Organizations: The Role of Supervisor Trust and Support for Authentic Self‐Expression

Abstract

AbstractThis study addresses how supervisors can facilitate the socialization of newcomers with high self‐perceived creativity into their new jobs. We combine self‐verification theory and current literature on socialization in a dual‐stage moderated mediation model where a) newcomer self‐perceived creativity interacts with supervisor trust in the newcomer to trigger supervisor perception of newcomer creativity; and b) supervisor perception of newcomer creativity, in turn, interacts with supervisor support for newcomer authentic self‐expression to impact newcomer adjustment outcomes (i.e., task performance, job satisfaction, and stress symptoms). A two‐wave, multisource study of 146 newcomer–supervisor dyads provides support for our predictions, suggesting that high levels of supervisor trust and support for authentic self‐expression serve as moderating conditions allowing supervisor perception of newcomer creativity to positively mediate the relationship between newcomer self‐perceived creativity and newcomer adjustment.