Organizational socialization and new employees’ work adaptability in high-tech enterprises: the mediating role of employee proactiveness

Abstract

Against the backdrop of rapid technological and organizational change in Chinese high-tech enterprises, newcomer adaptation has become increasingly important. This study examines the associations between organizational socialization strategies and new employees’ work adaptability, with particular attention to the mediating role of employee proactiveness. A quantitative cross-sectional design was adopted, and questionnaire data were collected from 419 new employees in Chinese high-tech enterprises. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 26.0, including exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and bootstrapping to examine the mediating role of employee proactiveness. The results showed that scenario, content, and social strategies were positively associated with employee proactiveness. Employee proactiveness was positively associated with performance proficiency, role clarity, and cultural adaptation, but not with interpersonal relationship adaptation. Scenario strategy was positively associated with all four dimensions of work adaptability, whereas content strategy was positively associated with performance proficiency, role clarity, and interpersonal relationship adaptation, but not with cultural adaptation. Social strategy was positively associated only with performance proficiency. Employee proactiveness significantly mediated the associations between organizational socialization strategies and performance proficiency, role clarity, and cultural adaptation, but not interpersonal relationship adaptation. These findings highlight the differential associations between organizational socialization strategies and dimensions of newcomer work adaptability, while underscoring the mediating role of employee proactiveness in several of these associations. By integrating organizational socialization strategies with proactive behavior, the research extends existing organizational socialization literature and provides practical implications for designing differentiated onboarding practices to support newcomer adaptation in high-tech enterprises.