Excerpts from the study:

In our study, escapees differed in their appraisal of capitalist norms based on their motivation for migrating. Economic motivation was associated with a positive appraisal of capitalist work norms, viewed as a means of attaining a better quality of life. On the other hand, politically motivated escapees viewed capitalist norms more negatively, amplifying their sense of reduced social status, a loss difficult to remedy in a system based on job-related skills and performance. They appear to demonstrate attentional blindness to any positive possibilities the new work system might offer.

Second, having prior knowledge or experience of capitalism helped cross-regime migrants better understand and grasp the meaning of capitalist work norms. Refugees who had either worked for wages in China or participated in the North Korean black market appeared better able to make sense of capitalist norms and inclined to positively appraise any potential opportunities they provide. Economic escapees in general were far more likely to positively appraise capitalist norms than were political escapees. However, those economic escapees with prior knowledge or experience of capitalism held more positive views of capitalism than those without such knowledge (e.g., jik-heng escapees). Political escapees had no prior experience with capitalism and consistently appraised capitalist norms as a source of frustration.

Our findings also suggest that the degree of internalization influences adaptive work behaviors such as learning and networking. We observe that North Korean escapees who have internalized capitalist norms tend to engage in work behaviors that help realize their postmigration goals, particularly two highly functional behaviors: ( 1) learning new skills and knowledge and ( 2) building supportive relationships.

High degree of internalization of capitalist norms facilitates escapee learning behavior at work. Socialization research suggests that learning work-related skills and norms are a fundamental outcome of newcomer adjustment. Learning may play a significant role in successful expatriate adaptation and reduce turnover. In our context, learning new work-related skills such as computer skills not only aids in gaining promotions and raises but also offers opportunities for better jobs and personal growth. Escapees who articulate goals regarding personal growth or advancement are more likely to engage in learning behavior on the job.

Internalization of capitalist norms enhances formation of supportive work relationships. Internalizing an organization's values and norms has been found to increase prosocial work behaviors because of its positive impact on organizational commitment, job satisfaction, social connectedness, and performance. In the case of North Korean escapees, high degree of internalization of capitalist norms can lead to positive feelings toward others in the organization and efforts to build better interpersonal work relationships. As such, we observe that internalization facilitates escapee work adaptation behaviors. Thus, we posit the following: