Organisational Socialisation: "typically defined the process through which individuals acquire knowledge about and adjust to their work context"
Socialisation Content: "the substance of what an individual learns (or should learn) in order to become a proficient and comfortable member of the organisation"
Social Information: "about other people and one's relationship with those people"
Normative Information: "about the organisations culture"
Knowledge Acquisition: "reduces newcomers' uncertainty and role ambiguity"
all quotes from Socialization tactics, proactive behavior, and newcomer learning: Integrating
socialization models by Blake E. Ashforth a, David M. Sluss & Alan M. Saks
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PRP: HR Definitions
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PRP: Artefact#6: Newbie Integration Development
The Effectivenes of an Organizational-level Orientation Training Program in the Socialisation of New Hires
"employees attending the orientation training were significantly more socialised on 3 of the 6 socialisation content dimensions(goals/values, history and people)"
"the people dimensuin of socialisation which was significantly related to the orientation attendance[...] having a better understanding of the history, traditions and values of the organisation may have helped new employees engage coworkers in discussion, join in on others conversations, and be more quickley accepted"
SOCIALIZATION TACTICS AND NEWCOMER INFORMATION ACQUISITION by
Alan M. Saks* and Blake E. Ashforth
"According to Miller and Jablin (1991) newcomers' acquisition of information might be strongly affected by the way the organization socializes newcomers. In fact, in a study on the antecedents of newcomers' communication behaviour, Mignerey, Rubin and Gorden (1995) found a direct positive link between institutionalized socialization tactics and information/feedback-seeking behaviour. Thus, newcomers' opportunities to acquire information during socialization might depend on socialization tactics. Therefore, if one of the major functions of socialization is to provide newcomers with information (Louis 1980) it is important to understand how this is most likely to happen."
"feedback and observation). According to Mignerey et al. (1995) institutionalized socialization tactics `provide a structure that enables newcomers to communicate more readily with coworkers and superiors. With such a structure in place, newcomers are better able to obtain information about the organization and reduce the uncertainty associated with assimilation into a new work environment' (p. 77). Thus, institutionalized socialization tactics are predicted to be related to more frequent information acquisition because they provide newcomers with formalized and structured opportunities to interact with insiders, whereas individualized socialization is more informal and reflects a relative absence of structure (Ashforth et al. 1996). With individualized socialization, newcomers may have little or no access to other newcomers and insiders, at least not through formal or structured mechanisms. On the other hand, newcomers who experience a collective (versus individual) socialization are likely to have more formalized opportunities to interact with other newcomers and to observe and acquire information from them. Serial (versus disjunctive) socialization can be expected to provide newcomers with more formal and structured opportunities to interact with and observe coworkers and supervisors who have experience in the newcomer's role (Ashforth and Saks 1996). Thus, because institutionalized socialization tactics involve more information-laden experiences (Allen and Meyer 1990; Jones 1986) provide newcomers with formal opportunities to work with and interact with insiders, and reflect a more structured programme of socialization (Ashforth et al. 1996; Mignerey et al. 1995)"
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PRP: Artefact#5 Newby Integration
"The greatest havoc comes when a firm is unable to integrate new people into the culture of the firm," claims Robert M. Dell, leader of the law firm Latham & Watkins. It can be disruptive to introduce new capabilities and personalities to an established and well functioning group. With each addition, the group's requirements for communication grow exponentially. The addition of even one new member requires that the entire team regroup and rebond, finding new ways of working and ultimately recreating their dynamics and working style.
It takes time and effort to integrate a new team member. Without it, the new member may (and indeed, often does) flounder, become isolated, create conflict, or worse. While some firms may try (even in this day and age) to rationalize a sink-or-swim philosophy with junior people, most firms cannot afford the internal and external impact (not to mention the costs) of people coming and going with frequency.
After all, you're not just hiring a warm body. In most cases you're adopting a new colleague, or someone you expect has the potential to become a colleague, into your family. With a little thought and attention you can take steps to ensure that these new hires don't take a good look behind the curtains and head back onto the open market.
Initiatives to Integrate New Additions
Here are some steps to integrate new additions:
1. Manage first impressions
2. Give them support - before they ask
3. Make them feel valued
4. Provide an immersion experience.
5. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
1. MANAGE FIRST IMPRESSIONS
First impressions are critical. Design an orientation program that provides information to people as soon they arrive. Remember to introduce your group to the new person and the new person to the group.
One practice team greets new people by having their photos taken and affixed to a large sheet of flip-chart paper that also displays the personal answers to two questions in the new people's own words: my most gratifying personal achievement and my most important transaction. The sheet is then posted on the boardroom wall at the group's next regularly scheduled meeting.
A simple memo from the group leader (distributed on the day of their arrival) welcoming new people and sharing pertinent details (where they came from, what they do, their credentials, new office location, secretarial assignment, etc.) can do wonders. Suddenly everyone in the group knows enough to say "hello" and "welcome."
2. GIVE THEM SUPPORT - BEFORE THEY ASK
New people require a clear understanding of their group's expectations. They also need introductions to specific people that can support their aspirations, training on the equipment and systems they may need, and a tour of the facilities. Someone must invest the time necessary to make them feel welcome. It is up to the group leader to organize this.
The executive director at one consulting firm invested in a staff coordinator whose task was to spend one-on-one time with new additions during their first days in the office. She trains them on the telephone system, explains firm resources, shows them how to access the computer network, makes introductions to staff members with whom the person will interact, talks through office kitchen protocol, and answers the myriad of seemingly trivial questions no one would wish to ask the person in the next office.
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PRP:Artefact#5_Newby Integration
Previous artefacts have provided me with evidence to prove that people are much more willing to participate in Knowledge Management Initiatives when they know the people in the group and have a social support network. This teamed with being a new starter in a creative company myself, has lead me to think about the integration of new starters.
Being new anywhere provides problems such as learning colleagues names, understanding their job roles and the running of the company as a whole. In small companies where there are less than 10 employees this may not be such an issue, but more than this can become 'information overload'.
For my Final Artefact I am proposing to make an online application/website that addresses these issues. Currently I see this as a list of pictures, along with names, job roles and internal contacts such as telephone extensions and email addresses.
A version of this could be added to a company's website for a more personal approach and useful for clients to put a face to a name when in correspondance. I am looking at ways that this could be useful for existing staff and this could shape my 5th Artefact as I have skipped ahead!
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