Learning the rope: The role of mentoring for training application in correctional officers (relazione)

This research aims at understanding the moderating role of formal mentoring support on the relationship between organizational socialization and two adjustment indicators, positive (commitment) and negative (turnover intention). Based on a questionnaire administered to 117 prison officer newcomers, since the jail context is particularly critical for newcomers, our results show: a direct effect of both socialization and mentoring on commitment and on turnover; an interaction between socialization and mentoring on turnover, but not on commitment. Thus, when the socialization process goes ahead steadily, both processes contribute to determine a good adjustment, but when traditional tactics goes wrong a different learning source (mentoring) exerts a protective function, reducing the newcomers’ intention to quit.