A multi-method study of accounts of personal change by graduates starting work: Self-ratings, categories and women's discourses

The extent and kind of personal change experienced by newcomers during orga nizational socialization has not been thoroughly addressed. Studies have co ncentrated on increases in knowledge and adjustment and neglected the influ ence of starring work on sense of self Multiple methods are used to explore graduates' accounts of change in early career. Questionnaires were sent to graduates in eight different organizations on two occasions one year apart (Time 1 N= 906; Time 2 N= 936). Graduates rated the amount of change they experienced highest in competence (median: Quite a lot), followed by career (median: A little), personality (median: A moderate amount/A little), valu es (median: Not at all/A little) and lowest in attitudes (median: Not at al l). Content analysis of open-ended comments showed that changes were genera lly positive or neutral rather than negative. Discourses of personal change were explored in interviews with nine graduates who were selected as most likely to have experienced change. The criteria were that they were women i n sex atypical occupations with high sell-ratings of personal change. Accou nts demonstrated the complexity and contradictions in defining and discussi ng change and the dilemma in both describing change and maintaining continu ity. Narratives presented change as a response to adversity involving emoti onal control, increased self-knowledge and increased confidence. A further theme was the personal dilemma inherent in maintaining balance between the contested identities of self at work and outside. This research contributes to our understanding of newcomers' experiences of organizational socializa tion by emphasizing the importance of multiple methods to understand the am biguity and ambivalence in complex developmental processes. It highlights t he elusive nature of change and the complex negotiations in establishing th e sense of self in different contexts.