Balancing newcomer social integration and voice during organizational socialization: A longitudinal study of antecedents, consequences and boundary conditions

Abstract The socialization literature has traditionally assumed the existence of a tension between the encouragement of newcomers' assimilation (i.e., the successful integration into the social environment) to enhance task performance and the encouragement of their differentiation (i.e., the safe expression of valuable perspectives) to enhance their creativity. However, how and when newcomers find balance between assimilation and differentiation for better performance and creativity remain unclear. Drawing on optimal distinctiveness theory, we address this limitation by developing and testing a dual‐pathway model of newcomer socialization, where (a) two distinct forms of trust in supervisor (i.e., affective and cognitive) foster, namely, newcomer task performance via an assimilation process (i.e., social integration) and newcomer creativity via a differentiation process (i.e., voice); and (b) newcomer rule‐following shapes these indirect effects. Results from a three‐wave longitudinal survey involving 171 newcomer–supervisor dyads supported our predictions. We discuss the implications of these findings for management theory and practice.