Organizational Entry and Socialization
Staffing • Dr. Frankie S. Jones • 2008
Organizational Entry and Socialization
Organizational Entry and Socialization
• This module is divided into two sessions:
> An Introduction to Organizational Entry and
Socialization.
> Organizational Entry and Socialization Theory,
Research, and Practice.
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
Lesson One: An Introduction to Organizational
Entry and Socialization
• By the end of this session you will be able to:
> Define organizational entry and socialization (OES).
> Explain the importance and benefit of socializing
employees into a new organization.
> Discuss the HR professional’s role in organizational
entry and socialization.
> Critique the organizational entry experiences of two
newly hired employees.
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
What Is Organizational Entry and Socialization?
• Synonyms: Assimilation, transition, orientation,
alignment, induction, integration and onboarding.
• Definitions vary.
• Themes across definitions:
> Process.
> Learn.
> Produce.
• It is the process through which new employees learn
and adapt to the norms and expectations of the
organization to quickly reach maximum productivity.
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
Statistics
• As many as 4 percent of new employees leave their
new jobs after a disastrous first day.
• A significant percentage of new employees quit their
jobs within the first 6 months.
• Half of all new hires in leadership positions last three
or less years.
• New employees decide within the first 30 days
whether they feel welcome in the organization.
• 1 in 25 people leave a new job just because of a poor
(or nonexistent) onboarding program.
• 40 percent of senior managers hired from the outside
fail within 18 months of hire.
• 64 percent of new executives hired from the outside
will fail at their new job.
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
Benefits and Barriers
• Benefits of effective OES:
> Reduced time to contribution/competence.
> Improved employee productivity and performance.
> Stronger bonds among colleagues.
> Enhanced job satisfaction and loyalty.
> Improved employee engagement and retention.
> Enhanced employer brand.
• Barriers to OES:
> Cost.
> Time.
> Resources.
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
Role of the HR Professional in OES
• Develop new employees to become productive
members of the organization.
• Take ownership of orientation and onboarding
processes.
• View OES as a business imperative.
• Partner and coach hiring and supervising managers
on OES and their role in the process.
• Provide a roadmap for new employees.
• Set up networks for new employees.
• Serve as an internal coach/facilitator.
• Provide tools, training and feedback from selection
through transition.
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
Case Study Part One
• Read scenarios (5 minutes).
• Small group activity (10 minutes):
> How are Jill and Ben most likely feeling during their first
day at work?
> What are their first impressions of their managers and
their respective organizations?
> What challenges and opportunities might Jill and Ben
face over the next few weeks?
> What is the likelihood that either will stay or leave within
six months?
• Debrief (20 minutes).
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
Break for 10 minutes
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
Lesson Two: OES Theory, Research and Practice
• By the end of this session, you will be able to:
> Explain the major theories, findings and practical
implications of OES research.
> Evaluate the OES programs of well-known
organizations.
> Describe the characteristics of effective OES programs.
> Create an entry and socialization program for new
employees.
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
OES Theory: Van Maanen and Schein (1979)
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Collective vs. individual
Formal vs. informal
Sequential vs. random
Fixed vs. variable
Serial vs. disjuncture
Investiture vs. divestiture
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
OES Theory: Jones (1986)
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“Institutionalized” and “individualized” tactics.
Regrouped and ranked Van Maanen and Schein’s
tactics into three broad factors:
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Social tactics (serial and investiture).
Content tactics (sequential and fixed).
Context tactics (collective and formal).
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
OES Research, Findings, and Practical Implications
Study
College Graduates' Experiences
and Attitudes during
Organizational Entry .
Holton 1995
Unwrapping the Organizational
Entry Process: Disentangling
Multiple Antecedents and Their
Pathways to Adjustment.
Kammeyer-Mueller and Wanberg
2003
Changes in Person –
Organization fit: The Impact of
Socialization Tactics on
Perceived and Actual P – O Fit.
Findings / Implications
HRD researchers should engage in "...developing performance-based
intervention models, investigating socialization-related learning, developing
instruments to diagnose adaptation problems, designing interventions to
facilitate the process, testing alternative development strategies, evaluation
intervention outcomes, and establishing the return on investment of
interventions. Because socialization is a process, not a program, it will
require the development of structured on-the-job development strategies
as well as training interventions" (p. 75).
Factors affecting socialization include pre-entry knowledge of the
job; proactive behavior to adjust; and socialization influences from
the organization, supervisors, and co-workers. Implications:
•Provide pre-entry opportunities to learn about jobs, like internships or work
samples.
•Administer personality surveys to select people who are more proactive or
identify those who are less proactive and may need more help.
•Train supervisors and co-workers on how to socialize new employees.
•Offer peer and supervisory mentoring programs.
"The results show that socialization tactics influence perceived fit, job
satisfaction, and organizational commitment, but not actual fit" (p. 52).
Cooper-Thomas, van Vianen, and
Anderson 2004
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
OES Research, Findings, and Practical Implications
Study
Shaking Hands with a Computer:
An Examination of Two Methods
of Organizational Newcomer
Orientation.
Findings / Implications
"Consistent with hypotheses, the computer-based group had lower levels
of socialization in the content areas of people, politics, and organizational
goals and values and no significant differences on the dimensions of
history, language, and performance proficiency" (p. 1024).
Wesson and Gogus 2005
A New Look at the Role of
Insiders in the Newcomer
Socialization Process.
The negative aspects of newcomer socialization include stress, surprise,
anxiety, confusion and awkwardness.
Slaughter and Zickar 2006
Socialization Tactics and
Newcomer Adjustment: A MetaAnalytic Review and Test of a
Model.
Saks, Uggerslev, and Fassina
2007
"Based on the result of this study, the social tactics are the strongest
predictors of newcomer adjustment” (p. 438).
Implications:
•Pair newcomers with an experienced mentor or buddy.
•Affirm that the newcomer is a good fit for job.
•Reduce uncertainty.
•Improve fit perceptions.
•Customize socialization tactics: provide a combination of structured and
unstructured opportunities.
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
Best Practices of Capital One
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Address attrition after aggressive hiring period.
New leader assimilation program:
1. Getting the lay of the land.
2. Meeting the team.
3. Checking in.
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Lessons learned:
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>
>
Hiring managers play a critical role.
Brand the program.
Get buy-in.
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
Best Practices of Sun Microsystems
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Goal of new-hire program: “Combine the best of Web
2.0 with the company’s do-it-yourself culture.”
Five engaging components:
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New-hire welcome.
Learn.
Participate.
Explore.
Play.
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
Best Practices of Electropar
• Sees induction as a process, not an isolated event.
• First-day experience:
> Scheduled meetings with key colleagues and managers
for the next two weeks.
> Workspace is completely equipped.
> Downtime during the work day for reading, note-taking,
and getting acclimated to their responsibilities.
> List of resources to go to for help.
• ROI
> Increased profits.
> Improved health and safety records.
> Increased retention.
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
Best Practices of Randstad
• Revised program features:
> Transformed the classroom-intensive 6-week
onboarding program into a 16-week blended learning
curriculum that reduced classroom instruction and
included much more self-guided e-learning and on-thejob activities.
> Manager-facilitated training (two-day course with
employee's district managers).
> Job shadowing (experienced employees).
> Manager coaching (formal and informal feedback
sessions).
• ROI: $4 million return on a program that cost
$931,000.
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
Summary of Practice Literature
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Provide jump-start coaching.
Map out your new hire’s network.
Follow up.
Take advantage of technology.
Use social bonds to fuel collaboration.
OES is a process, not an event.
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
Case Study Part Two
• Read scenario.
• Small group activity (30 minutes).
• Debrief (20 minutes).
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
Module Recap
• Review class-generated summary points and best
practices.
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
References
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Barge, J. K., and Schlueter, D. W. (2004). Memorable messages and newcomer
socialization. Western Journal of Communication, 68(3), 233-256.
Cashman, K., and Smye, M. (2007, April). Onboarding. Leadership Excellence, 24, 5.
Concelman, J., and Burns, J. (2006, March). The perfect storm or just a shower?: Large
corporations use best practices to jump-start new leaders. T+D, 60, 51-52.
Cooper-Thomas, H. D., and Anderson, N. (2006). Organizational socialization: A new
theoretical model and recommendations for future research and HRM practices in
organizations. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(5), 492-516.
Cooper-Thomas, H. D., van Vianen, A., and Anderson, N. (2004). Changes in person –
organization fit: The impact of socialization tactics on perceived and actual P–O fit.
European Journal Of Work and Organizational Psychology, 13(1), 52-78.
Friedman, L. (2006, November). Are you losing potential new hires at hello? T+D, 60, 2527.
Holton, E. E. (1995). College graduates' experiences and attitudes during organizational
entry. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 6(1), 59-78.
Johnson, L. K. (2005, June). Get your new managers moving. Harvard Management
Update, 10, 3-5.
Johnson, L. K. (2006, September). Rapid onboarding at Capital One. Harvard Management
Update, 11, 3-4.
Jones, G. R. (1986). Socialization tactics, self-efficiency and newcomers' adjustments to
organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 2, 262-279.
Kammeyer-Mueller, J. D., and Wanberg, C. R. (2003). Unwrapping the organizational entry
process: Disentangling multiple antecedents and their pathways to adjustment. Journal of
Applied Psychology, 88(5), 779-794.
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Organizational Entry and Socialization
References
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McGregor, J. (2007, February). How to take the reins at top speed. Business Week, 55-56.
Meister, J. C. (2007, July). Onboarding for the net generation. Chief Learning Officer, 6, 54.
Morel, S. (2007). Onboarding secures talent for the long run. Workforce Management,
86(12), 9.
Moscato, D. (2005, June/July). Using technology to get employees on board. HR Magazine,
22, 107-109.
Owler, K. (2007, June/July). The art of induction: A process not an event. Human
Resources, 22-23.
Saks, A. M., Uggerslev, K. L., and Fassina, N. E. (2007). Socialization tactics and
newcomer adjustment: A meta-analytic review and test of a model. Journal of Vocational
Behavior, 70, 413-446.
Slaughter, J. E., and Zickar, M. J. (2006). A new look at the role of insiders in the
newcomer socialization process. Group and Organization Management, 31(2), 264-290.
Snell, A. (2006). Researching onboarding best practice. HR Review, 5(6), 32-35.
Sussman, D. (2005, December). Getting up to speed. T+D, 59, 49-51.
van Dam, N. (2007, June). The business results of strategic onboarding. Chief Learning
Officer, 6, 9.
Van Maanen, J., and Schein, E. H. (1979). Towards a theory of organizational socialization.
In B. M. Staw (Ed.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 1, pp. 209-264). Greenwich,
CT: JAI Press.
Wells, S. J. (2005, March). Diving in. HR Magazine, 50, 55-59.
Wesson, M. J., and Gogus, C. I. (2005). Shaking hands with a computer: An examination of
two methods of organizational newcomer orientation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(5),
1018-1026.
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