Abstract:
Socialization theory has focused on enculturating new employees such that they
develop pride in their new organization and internalize its values. Drawing on
authenticity research, we propose that socialization leads to more effective
employment relationships when it starts with newcomers expressing their personal
identities. In a field experiment carried out in a large business process outsourcing
company, we found that socialization focused on personal identity (emphasizing
newcomers’ unique perspectives and strengths) led to significantly greater customer
satisfaction and greater employee retention after six months, compared to (a)
socialization that focused on organizational identity (emphasizing pride from
organizational affiliation) and (b) the organization’s traditional approach which focused
primarily on skills training. To confirm causation and explore the mechanisms
underlying the effects, we replicated the results in a laboratory experiment. We found
that individuals working temporarily as part of a research team were more engaged
and satisfied with their work, performed their tasks more effectively and were also
more likely to return to work when initial socialization focused on personal rather than
organizational identity. In addition, authentic self expression mediated these
relationships. We call for a new direction in socialization theory examining how both
organizations and employees benefit by encouraging authentic self-expression.