Negotiating the in-between: how job transitions open third spaces between newcomers and existing teams for socialization and organizational value creation
Year: 2026
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This study examines how job transitions create in-between spaces where newcomers’ experiences, skills, and perspectives encounter established team routines and norms. Addressing a critical gap at the team level of organizational socialization research, it applies Bhabha’s Third Space Theory to 28 qualitative interviews with newcomers. The analysis traces how ambiguity is negotiated within reconfigured team constellations through sensemaking and boundary work, enabling the hybridization of meanings. In teams characterized by psychological safety, openness, and recognition, these Third Spaces foster newcomer socialization and integrative collaboration by supporting mutual learning, identity development, co-creation, and innovation, underscoring their critical strategic importance for organizations.
Author: Peifer, Zoe Charlotte
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7162274838