Explanatory factors of demobilization among newly hired university graduates

The integration of university graduates into organizational life is a parti cularly painful experience during the first few months of employment (Richa rds 1984a, 1984b; Nicholson and Arnold 1991; Tapia 1994). Confronted by the demands of professional life, graduates frequently feel what the specializ ed literature on the subject has named "reality shock" (Dean 1983, 1984; De an, Ferris and Konstans 1985). When reality shock sets in, there can be man y repercussions for the attitudes and behaviour of university graduates. Th ey frequently become discouraged, disillusioned, indifferent and even frust rated or "delinquent" (Raelin 1984; Keenan and Newton 1984). It is this gen eral phenomenon of detachment and disengagement which we have called demobi lization. The unmet expectations hypothesis is frequently used in the specialized lit erature to explain demobilization. The strength of reality shock and demobi lization are generally linked to two factors: the level of initial expectat ions thigh or unrealistic expectations increase the risk of demobilization) , and the quality of actual work experiences (the move these diverge from t he graduate's initial expectations, the higher the demobilization). Althoug h the unmet expectations hypothesis has long been abundantly used, it is su bject to important methodological criticism in the literature (Johns 1981; Edwards 1991, 1994). Moreover, there is no consensus about the actual effec ts of initial expectations. Even in terms of organizational factors, there are those who believe that intrinsic factors are the key to avoiding demobi lization, whereas others believe that extrinsic factors work best. Specific job content expectations held by university graduates include the desire to hold a significant job, to be challenged, to have responsibilitie s, to feel useful, to use and develop knowledge and abilities, etc. The exp ectations regarding their supervision appear to be somewhat ambivalent. For example, graduates expect the organization to take care of them but simult aneously want to be autonomous. Graduates also hold high expectations in te rms of recognition and ethics (respectful and dignified treatment). Finally , graduates expect regular promotions, mobility, salary increases and caree r counseling. The question as to the true determinants of demobilization remains unanswer ed. We must therefore seek to identify the best explanatory model: the unme t expectations model, the independent effects model (Irving and Meyer 1994) or the general model (Edwards 1994). In order to assess these different mo dels, a survey was designed and distributed during the winter of 1996 to 2, 500 graduates of the University of Montreal who had accumulated between six and thirty-six months of work experience. Among the surveys returned, 441 were deemed to be useable. In terms of measurement of variables, the concept of demobilization was eva luated by a scale of nine items (a = 0,92) reflecting how human resource pr ofessionals actually perceive the phenomenon (Wils et al. 1998). To measure determinants, 44 individual expectations (with as many corresponding exper iences and unmet expectations) were derived from the literature pertaining to university graduates. A "principal components analysis" was performed on these expectations and extracted 12 factors. Results indicate that the unmet expectations model (R-2 = 18,7%) explains a far lesser amount of variance than the independent effects model (R-2 = 28 ,8%) and the general model (R-2 = 31,9%). In reality, the unmet expectation s model masks the crucial fact that graduates are not demobilized by their high initial expectations but by a lack of opportunity provided by their or ganizations. Why is the variance explained by expectations so weak? Is this the result o f a social environment (i.e., family, university experiences) which does no t understand the realities of organizational life? Or is it rather a reflec tion of graduates' needs which can affect demobilization either negatively (if they have excessive expectations from the organization's point of view) or positively (if they express a higher degree of motivation)? Nevertheless, managers should not focus their efforts on meeting university graduates' expectations, but rather on improving the quality of their actu al work experience. Notwithstanding the initial level of their expectations , graduates will feel lost and abandoned, and will easily be demobilized if they: (1) hold a job without any responsibilities, (2) do not get the chan ce to use their knowledge and abilities, (3) are not informed, (4) do not r eceive any feedback, (5) do not have the opportunity to develop their abili ties and to progress, and (6) are treated without any consideration. Not on ly will these negative experiences keep graduates from positioning themselv es in their jobs (to develop "perspective"), they will leave them with the impression that they are not trusted, that they are treated unfairly, and t hat they have no future in the organization.