Committee Chair

Taylor, Jessica N.

Committee Member

Crawford, Elizabeth K.; Rausch, David W.

Department

Dept. of Applied Leadership and Learning

College

College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the hospital’s onboarding ambassador program. The problem to be investigated was the rate of organizational members quitting within the first year of employment. The goal of learning from the program evaluation was to understand how the onboarding ambassador program and sense of belonging affected quit intentions among newcomers. Organizational socialization, also referred to as onboarding, is a crucial aspect of a newcomer’s experience as they acclimate to a new organization. The onboarding experience is a newcomer’s first impression of the organization (Cesário & Chambel, 2019). Effective onboarding provides role clarity, confidence, and social acceptance (Bauer et al., 2007). Members may also learn informal rules and expectations from colleagues as they transition from an organizational outsider to an insider. According to Allen (2006), ineffective onboarding may lead to quit intentions when the member’s or the organization’s expectations are not met. Evaluating the onboarding ambassador program served as the framework for this study. The onboarding ambassador program was a socialization program which paired newcomers with organizational members. Qualitative and quantitative data, collected through survey instruments and historical data, were used to measure the effectiveness of the onboarding ambassador program. Findings suggest the onboarding ambassador program was ineffective in reducing turnover and increasing member engagement. Contributions to program fidelity determined whether the program was executed as intended. The evaluation of this study highlights the importance of stakeholder buy-in and program adherence.

Acknowledgments

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my chair, Dr. Jessica N. Taylor. Your continued guidance and encouragement have been invaluable. You were always available for a conversation to help me stay calm and not get too frustrated along the way, reminding me to take a deep breath. To my committee chairs, Dr. David Rausch and Dr. Elizabeth Crawford, I appreciate your encouragement, ideas, and support. To my friends, colleagues, and my cohort, Julie Brown and Ashley Rayburn. My friends and colleagues encouraged me and checked on me to ensure I made progress in the program. A special thank you to all my friends who supported me along the way. I appreciate the time you spent listening to me complain about my workload, walking through my agenda, and timelines over and over again. You may not have known what I was talking about, but speaking it out loud was more helpful than you will ever understand. Ashley, who was always there to remind me that we could do this. Julie helped ensure I did not fall behind during some of the most challenging personal situations I experienced. We spent many days and nights pushing each other towards the finish line.

Degree

Ed. D.; A research project of practice submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Education.

Date

5-2026

Subject

Employee retention; Labor turnover; Organizational sociology--Research

Keyword

sense of belonging; quit intentions

Discipline

Vocational Education

Document Type

Doctoral dissertations

DCMI Type

Text

Extent

xiv, 132 leaves

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Download

Share

COinS