| Retirement is considered a 21st Century life cycle phenomenon which represents another era of one's life. This phenomenon is often treated as an anticipated event; yet too often, it has concomitant preventable psychosocial stressors. This dissertation focused on anticipatory socialization for successful adjustment to retirement through the use of Human Resource and Organization Development (HROD) programs. Anticipatory socialization is the socio-psychological process of preparation for role transitioning aimed at minimizing the associated stress. Retirement preparedness programs are often considered ineffective because of their lateness and narrow focus. This study identified and provided empirical evidence of three distinct levels of anticipatory socialization that are necessary for psychosocial preparedness for and adjustment to retirement. The pre-organization level, affects adjustment to orientation and acculturation while the intra-organizational level impacts organizational career development changes. At the final level of termination, anticipatory socialization shapes the psychosocial preparedness for, and adjustment to, the post-organizational period.;Data were gathered through questionnaires, document retrieval, and qualitative interviews with several HROD managers and 34 ex-military employees of the Jamaica Defence Force.;Content, thematic, and phenomenographic analysis showed that anticipatory socialization supported role transition for military personnel through acculturation, intra-organizational, personal, and professional development and psychosocial adjustment. Though anticipatory socialization required deliberate and direct interventions with voluntary actions, it also occurred through unwitting, implicit and informal events. HROD tools provided early, long term, and comprehensive processes for anticipatory socialization before, during, and after a military career.;This study expands our theoretical understanding of the cumulative socio-psychological impact of anticipatory socialization and provides new support and guidance for successful HROD practices for both military and non-military organizations.;Keywords: Retirement preparedness, anticipatory socialization, military human resource and organization development programs, phenomenography... |
