Flock Together or Fly Alone: Cohort's Influence on Newcomer's Job Search and Turnover

Abstract

In this paper, we identify and study the influence of a specific group of others, the newcomer’s cohort of peers, on newcomer’s turnover and job search. While a cohort will have similar effects on a newcomer as predicted by the on-the-job embeddedness literature, we find two other relevant moderators—newcomer-cohort closeness ties and newcomer location preference—as moderators that enhance or curb newcomer’s job search and turnover. We studied responses from 656 recently graduated newcomers who are divided into twenty cohorts in an information technology (IT) services and consultancy organization. We found cohort’s job search partially mediated the relationship between cohort’s job embeddedness and newcomer’s job search, and between cohort’s job embeddedness and the newcomer’s voluntary turnover. Newcomer-cohort closeness network relations, characterized by small network size and high network tie strength and density, positively moderated hypothesized relationships between cohort’s job search and newcomer’s job search as well as turnover. By contrast, newcomer’s job placement in a preferred geographic location offsets the effects of the cohort on the newcomer’s turnover. However, it has no effect on the newcomer’s job search. We contribute to the social network and newcomer turnover literature by signifying the socialization with cohorts in the workplace is a crucial social group that can bring on-the-job stability and continuity for newcomers in the organization.