A good onboarding buddy can add significant value to any onboarding process. However, the chemistry between the buddy and the new employee must be right.
<aside> 🧠 The personality profile is used to tailor this insight.
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<aside> ✅ Recent research has enabled this insight.
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Birds of a feather flock together. Even if this is only a truism, there are numerous research results that prove this statement. In science, we speak of the similarity-attraction effect. It refers to the widespread tendency of people to be attracted to others who are similar to them in key aspects, such as personality.
So here's the key takeaway from science:
The greater the similarity in personality between the new hire and the buddy, the better! A new employee who shares the same character traits as their buddy will likely be happier and more committed to their new job!
<aside> 💡 A buddy who is similar to a new hire increases the likelihood of successful onboarding!
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Klein, H. J., Polin, B., & Sutton, K. L. (2015). Specific Onboarding Practices for the Socialization of New Employees. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 23(3), 263–283. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12113
Montoya, R. M., & Horton, R. S. (2013). A meta-analytic investigation of the processes underlying the similarity-attraction effect. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 30(1), 64–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407512452989
Van Hoye, G., & Turban, D. B. (2015). Applicant–Employee Fit in Personality: Testing predictions from similarity-attraction theory and trait activation theory. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 23(3), 210–223. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12109