Effect Of Perceived Organizational Support And Proactive Personality On Organizational Commitment For Returned Knowledge Workers

With the pace of globalization, the focus of international competition has changed from resource and market to the talent. Many developing contrives have taken out favorable policies to attract talents, such as dual nationality in India and "The Hundred Talents Program" and "The Thousand Talents Program" in China. However, due to the impact of reverse culture shock, returned knowledge workers need to re-familiar with home culture after returning to the home country. In recent years, it is frequently reported that the returnees cannot adapt to the home environment. As a result, they leave the organization, change jobs, or even return to abroad. Therefore, it is of great importance for the management of returned knowledge workers. However, researchers do not pay enough attention on returnees. Actually, there are a lot of researches about repatriates who have the similar experience with returnees in foreign literature. In China, the research of returnees is not complete. For example, some researchers discuss the readjustment of returned knowledge workers by case study (Feng Bing, Feng Jing Kun,2010; Su Wei, Yun Wang,2002). And some scholars explore the antecedents of readjustment for returned knowledge workers by quantitative methods (Yi Ling Feng,2010). It is found that Chinese researchers do not explore that factors that influence readjustment and how readjustment has impact on work attitude and behavior.Based on work-family performance model, this study takes the returnees knowledge workers as subject and constructs a model with4variables, Perceived Organizational Support, Proactive Personality, Reentry Adjustment and Organizational Commitment. In this study, returned knowledge workers refers to those who have at least six months overseas experience, including studying, researching and communicating. They are doing brainwork when return to the home country.The research questions in this study are as follows: 1) to explore a direct impact of Perceived Organizational Support on Organizational Commitment for returnees knowledge workers (Main effect1).2) to explore the direct impact of Proactive Personality on Organizational Commitment for returned knowledge workers (Main effects2).3) to explore the mediating role of Reentry Adjustment in the relations between Perceived Organizational Support, Proactive Personality and Organizational Commitment for returned knowledge workers.(Mediating effect).4) to explore the interaction effect of Perceived Organizational Support and Proactive Personality on Organizational Commitment for returned knowledge workers(Interaction effect).In order to further discuss the above four questions, this study is structured as followed:Fist of all, through literature review, this study discuss the theory, definition and dimension of Perceived Organizational Support, Proactive Personality, Reentry Adjustment and Organizational Commitment. Moreover, this study reviews the relations of each variable. Based on Work-Family Performance model in cross-culture, this study constructs a model of the effect of perception and personality on Organizational Commitment for returned knowledge workers in reentry-culture.Then, combined with the characteristics of returned knowledge workers and research conclusion, this study refers three dimensions of Perceived Organizational Support:Financial Perceived Organizational Support, Adjustment Perceived Organizational Support and Career Perceived Organizational Support. Also, Reentry Adjustment is taken as three dimensions:Work Adjustment, Interaction Adjustment and General Adjustment. Finally, Proactive Personality and Organizational Commitment is one dimension in this study. This study works out initial scale based on the dimension of each variable. The initial scale is revised through pilot test. At last, formal scale is formed.Finally, according to the results of formal scale, this study certifies the effect of Perceived Organizational Support and Proactive Personality on Organizational Commitment. Moreover, it is ensured that the effect is taken in three situations: work environment, non-work environment and interaction environment. More importantly, this study verifies the interaction effect of Perceived Organizational Support and Proactive Personality on Organizational Commitment.The conclusion of this study is as followed:1. Both Career Perceived Organizational Support and Adjustment Perceived Organizational Support have direct positive effect on Organizational Commitment for returned knowledge workers. However. Financial Perceived Organizational Support does not have significant direct effect on Organizational Commitment. Most returned knowledge workers in this study have been back for no more than three years. They are in the exploration of career stage. The main task for returned knowledge workers is to learn skills and knowledge related to work. Therefore, financial factor is not the most important one that they concern. Returned knowledge workers have been abroad for many years. They have high requirement for career development. When the organization could meet their requirement, they will have high commitment to the organization.2. Proactive Personality has direct positive effect on Organizational Commitment for returned knowledge workers.Person with Proactive Personality tends to construct social relations with others. This characteristic is quite similar to extraversion in Big-Five personality (O’ Sullivan,2002).So, it is easy for them to have relations with others in the organization and get information of promotion and rewards. As a result, they would like to stay in the organization. This conclusion verifies that people with different background, nation and country have similarity. That is, personality has the same effect on attitude and behavior.3. Reentry Adjustment plays as a mediating role in the relationship between Perceived Organizational Support and Organizational Commitment for returned knowledge workers.Firstly, general adjustment plays as a mediating role in the relationship between Financial Perceived Organizational Support and Organizational Commitment. The organization offers returned knowledge workers good purchase subsidies, communications subsidies and setting-in allowance. In order to recipropricate the organization, returned knowledge workers will show more commitment and loyalty to the organization. Secondly, Work Adjustment plays as a mediating role in the relations between Career Perceived Organizational Support and Organizational Commitment. The organization offers returned knowledge workers good promotion opportunities, and they will work hard and show high commitment to the organization in return. Finally, Interaction Adjustment plays as a mediating role in the relationship between Adjustment Perceived Organizational Support and Organizational Commitment. The organization provides training program for returned knowledge workers, including work-related training and non-work related training. According to Kim (2000), individual would experience "pressure-adjustment-growth" through communication and interaction.4. Interaction Adjustment and Work Adjustment play as mediating role in the relationship between Proactive Personality and Organizational Commitment.The main characteristic for proactive personality is searching information in the new environment actively. When people enter in the new organization, they would communicate with the supervisor and learn how to construct relationships with colleagues. The time and energy they invest to the organization could be taken as individual investment. When they leave the organization, they need to learn new work skills and communication in the new organization. Therefore, retuned knowledge workers have been depending on the organization and show high commitment to the organization.5. The interaction effect of Career Perceived Organizational Support and Proactive Personality have significant positive effect on Organizational Commitment through Work Adjustment.In this study, the interaction effect of Career Perceived Organizational Support and Proactive Personality means that for those who have high Proactive Personality, high Career Perceived Organizational Support would help them to adjust to the work environment, then show high commitment to the organization. When returned knowledge workers have high Proactive Personality but low Career Perceived Organizational Support, they will have some obstacles when searching information in the organization. Therefore, they could feel difficult to adjust to the organization and show low commitment to the organization.The contribution of this study is as followed:1. The object in this study is returned knowledge workers. The purpose of this study is to explore how perception and personality takes effect on work attitude. This study fills in the gap in qualitative study for returned knowledge in home and aboard. 2. This study draw in work-family performance model from cross culture to reentry culture and construct theoretical model to test the adaptability of work-family performance model in reentry culture. This study expands the filed of work-family performance model and heightens the adaptability of this model.3. This study have different conclusion with previous study. That is, financial support does not have significant effect on Organizational Commitment for returned knowledge workers. It is possible that returned knowledge workers’ abroad motivation and career stage are quite different from other workers. This conclusion offers us a new perspective for future study and provides the management a new thinking of Human Resource Management for returned knowledge workers.4. This study constructs a model with Perceived Organizational Support, Proactive Personality, Reentry Adjustment and Organizational Commitment in the background of reentry culture. Moreover, this study verifies that the interaction effect of Perceived Organizational Support and Proactive Personality have influence on Organizational Commitment. This conclusion further explains the black box between personality and commitment and provide theoretical basis for future research.However, there are some questions that need to further explore, such as research methods, influential factor, research design and longitudinal statistics.