Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

DBA

College

Chambers College of Business and Economics

Department

Management

Committee Chair

Xiaoxiao Hu

Committee Member

David Dawley

Committee Member

Jeffery Houghton

Committee Member

Xinchun Wang

Abstract

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly transformed workplace norms and employee expectations, marking a notable shift towards remote work. As organizations increasingly encourage a return to physical offices, understanding employee adaptation during this transition has become essential. This dissertation leverages Regulatory Focus Theory to explore how employees' promotion and prevention focus influences their adjustment and performance upon re-entering traditional office settings.

A parallel mediation model is proposed, in which Change Appraisal, Perceived Organizational Support (POS), and Psychological Safety (PS) are identified as key mechanisms linking regulatory focus to employee outcomes. The findings may provide evidence that individuals who exhibit a higher level of promotion-focus are more probable to view the return-to-office (RTO) transition as an opportunity, perceive higher organizational support, and experience greater psychological safety, facilitating better adjustment and performance. Conversely, employees with higher levels of prevention-focus may perceive the transition as threatening, potentially undermining their adaptation.

This research contributes to the literature by being among the first to empirically examine how regulatory focus shapes employee adjustment and performance specifically during the return-to-office transition, a context that remains underexplored. It elucidates how appraisal, social exchange, and psychological safety processes shape individual differences in adjustment and performance, providing practical insights for leaders and HR professionals in crafting supportive RTO strategies that cater to diverse employee mindsets.

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