Past work experience and organizational assimilation in nonprofit organizations

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21348
• Author: Courtney W. Davis,Karen K. Myers
• Date: 01 June 2019
• Published date: 01 June 2019

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Past work experience and organizational

assimilation in nonprofit organizations

Courtney W. Davis

1

| Karen K. Myers

2

1

Department of Communication Studies, Azusa

Pacific University, Azusa, California

2

Department of Communication 4005 SS&MS,

University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa

Barbara, California

Correspondence

Courtney Davis, Department of Communication

Studies, Azusa Pacific University, PO Box 7000,

Azusa, CA 91702-7000.

Email: cwdavis@apu.edu

This study compares seven dimensions of organizational

assimilation (OA)—familiarity with coworkers, familiarity

with supervisors, recognition, acculturation, involvement,

job competency, and role negotiation—into nonprofit, for-

profit, and governmental organizations incorporating the

role of similarity of past work experience (magnitude of

transition [MoT]). An online survey of 294 employee

newcomers (tenures of 3 months or less) revealed differ-

ences in OA between those entering nonprofits and those

entering for-profit, and governmental organizations. Com-

pared to newcomers entering for-profit and governmental

organizations, nonprofit newcomers reported higher levels

of job competency, involvement, acculturation, and role

negotiation. Interactions between organization type and

MoT from past work to current roles were examined for

effects on OA. When MoT was low, nonprofit newcomers

were higher on acculturation and involvement than for-

profit newcomers; governmental newcomers with high

MoT were significantly higher on role negotiation than

for-profit newcomers. Theoretical and practical implica-

tions for nonprofit organizational management, trainers,

and nonprofit newcomers are discussed.

KEYWORDS

nonprofit management, organization assimilation, work

experience

Research on organizational assimilation (OA)—the process by which individuals join, participate in,

and leave organizations (Jablin, 1987, 2001)—has been critiqued for its narrow focus on paid, full-

time workers in large, for-profit organizations in corporate America (Ashcraft & Kedrowicz, 2002;

Ballard & Gossett, 2007; Haski-Leventhal & Bargal, 2008; Koschmann, 2012; Salamon, Soko-

lowski, & Geller, 2012), motivating several recent studies of assimilation among volunteers or

Received: 21 February 2018 Revised: 3 December 2018 Accepted: 5 December 2018

DOI: 10.1002/nml.21348

Nonprofit Management and Leadership. 2019;29:569–588. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/nml © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 569

voluntary members, usually in nonprofit organizations (NPOs) (e.g., Ashcraft & Kedrowicz, 2002;

Kramer, 2011; McNamee & Peterson, 2014).

The focus on volunteers overlooks 10.7 million paid, full-time workers in U.S. NPOs (Nonprofit

HR, 2017; Salamon et al., 2012). The Bureau of Labor Statistics (2016) reports that, “nonprofit

employment, total annual wages, and the number of establishments grew steadily each year from

2007 through 2012.”Over this period, NPO employment increased 8.5%, from 10.5 million jobs to

11.4 million jobs. Many scholars and employment experts argue that employment in NPOs is unique

compared to for-profit or governmental entities due to differences in governance, service missions,

and because employees frequently interact with and oversee volunteers who also work on behalf of

the organization (Lewis, 2005; O'Neill & Young, 1988; Rimes, Nesbit, Christensen, & Brudney,

2017). Given employment growth in the nonprofit sector, our first question in this investigation asks

whether nonprofit employees' entry and adjustment (also known as organizational assimilation) is

comparable to the newcomer experience in for-profit organizations, the context of most OA research

to date.

Labor reports also estimate that workers who once held positions in the for-profit sector now fill

approximately 20% of NPO leadership roles with about 40% of senior NPO leaders having significant

for-profit experience (The Bridgespan Group, 2009). Despite the substantial number, little is known

about the effect of their past work experience on their assimilation. Newcomers' adjustment to their

new environment has clear implications for their ability to contribute to the functioning of their orga-

nizations (Jablin, 2001; Myers & Oetzel, 2003). Investigations into the effect of previous employ-

ment on individuals' integration into new workplaces offer mixed results with some finding that

previous work roles have little effect (Adkins, 1995), some finding that previous work can affect OA

by influencing workers' professional values (Carr, Pearson, Vest, & Boyar, 2006), and some suggest-

ing previous work experience can inhibit OA when new roles do not align with their previously

acquired professional identities (Beyer & Hannah, 2002). Employment context such as differences

between working in nonprofit, for-profit, and governmental agencies may have implications for the

ease of their transitions (Latack, 1984). Thus, a second purpose of this study is to examine the role of

past work context on workers' adjustment into their organization.

Drawing from a survey of employees in their first 3 months on the job, this research compares

OA of new employees in NPOs to OA of workers in for-profit and governmental organizations, and

also the effect of related past work context on their OA. Next, we review relevant OA research, out-

lining the relevant processes, research areas, and outcomes of OA and, as a warrant for this investiga-

tion, theorize about how entry into NPOs may differ from entry into for-profit and public

organizations.

1|LITERATURE REVIEW

OA is “the process by which individuals become integrated into the culture of an organization”

(Jablin, 2001, p. 755). Generally, the objective of OA research is to examine the adjustment of orga-

nizational newcomers because rapid employee transitions and adjustment can lead to quicker new-

comer productivity and decrease the likelihood of premature turnover (Allen, 2006; Bauer & Green,

1994). Myers and Oetzel's (2003) investigation of OA found that newcomers' transitions are related

to various interlocking facets of organizational life. Their study, primarily of workers in for-profit

organizations, including hospitality, high-technology, advertising, and a university, identified six

dimensions that represent processes of OA: Familiarity with others includes getting to know

coworkers, making friends, feeling comfortable, and feeling and expressing general friendliness.

570 DAVIS AND MYERS