The role of personal work goals in newcomers' job satisfaction and organizational commitment: A longitudinal analysis

This study examined the importance of 3 characteristics of personal work go als (i,e,, commitment, attainability, and progress) in accounting for chang es in newcomers' affective job attitudes (i,e,, job satisfaction and organi zational commitment) during the 1st months of employment. Twenty weeks afte r organizational entry, 81 newcomers provided a list of their personal work goals. Goal attributes and job attitudes were assessed at 3 testing period s covering 8 months. Goal commitment was found to moderate the extent to wh ich differences in the attainability of personal goals at the workplace acc ounted for changes in job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Goal progress mediated the interactive effect of goal commitment and attainabili ty on newcomers' job attitudes. Findings are discussed with respect to thei r relevance for proactive approaches to organizational socialization.