The role of vocational socialization and realistic job previews on community college dean retention and exit

Employee exit is costly, making the focus on the initial stages of the employment
relationship a relevant topic. At community colleges, the role of dean is usually the first point of
entry into leadership, paving the way for the employee to develop more advanced leadership
skills benefiting the institution. This research investigates the role of vocational anticipatory
socialization and realistic job previews on community college dean employment experience.
Utilizing uncertainty reduction theory (Berger & Calabrese, 1975), the following discussion
progresses through several theories relating to new hires including vocational anticipatory
socialization, realistic job previews, and employee socialization. It then examines the
employment lifecycle once the dean has joined the organization. This includes a continuation of
the employee socialization discussion, psychological contract violations, and sensemaking to
better understand intention to quit and employee exit.
The research project involves a qualitative study of 12 community college newly
appointed deans within their first year of acquiring their positions who were selected through
purposive sampling. Semi-structured interview data was transcribed and examined using a
thematic analysis to better understand the experience of these employees as they move into
administrative leadership positions. The discussion examines how newly appointed deans
reflect on their hiring experiences, or initial perceptions about the job and organization,
comparing those to their experiences within their position. When those experiences are not in concert with one another as a result of psychological contract violations, this study examines
whether employees intend to remain in or exit their position