Socialization

Amal.V.Nair
Socialization, or onboarding is a process of
adaptation to a new work role

adjustments must be made whenever individuals
change jobs

the most profound adjustment occurs when an
individual first enters an organization, i.e., outside to
inside
Organizational Socialization
How employees adjust to a new organization
What is at stake:
Employee satisfaction, commitment, and
performance
Work group satisfaction and performance
Start-up costs for new employee
Likelihood of retention
Organizational Socialization
Defined
The process by which an individual
acquires the social knowledge and skills
necessary to assume an organizational
role.


The Socialization Process
Prearrival Individuals arrive with a set of values, attitudes,
and expectations developed from previous experience and the
selection process.

Encounter Individuals discover how well their expectations
match realities within the organization. Where differences exist,
socialization occurs to imbue the employee with the
organizations standards.

Metamorphosis Individuals have adapted to the
organization, feel accepted, and know what is expected of them.
The Socialization Process
Productivity
Commitment
Turnover
Outcomes
Metamorphosis Encounter Prearrival
SHRM 2007 7
Benefits and Barriers
Benefits of effective Socialisation:
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 socialisation:
Cost.
Time.
Resources.
Organizational Entry and Socialization
SHRM 2007 8
Role of the HR Professional in OES
Take Develop new employees to become productive
members of the organization.
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.
Organizational Entry and Socialization
Organizational Role
A set of behaviors expected of
individuals who hold a given position
in a group.
Dimensions of Organizational
Roles
Inclusionary social dimension (e.g.,
outsider, probationary, permanent
status)
Functional task dimension (e.g., sales,
engineering, administrative)
Hierarchical rank dimension (e.g., line
employee, supervisor, management,
officer)
Issues Relevant to
Socialization
Role communication how well the role is
communicated to the individual and the
group
Role orientation how innovative an
individual is in interpreting an organizational
role

Socialization Categories
Preliminary learning
Learning about the organization
Learning to function in the work group
Learning to perform the job
Personal learning
Feldmans Stage Model of
Socialization
Three stages:
Anticipatory socialization
Encounter
Change and Acquisition
Feldmans Model of
Organizational Socialization
By Permission: Feldman (1981)
Anticipatory Socialization
(Getting In)
Happens before joining an organization
or taking a new job
Prepares the person for organizational
entry
First glimpse of the organizations
culture
Develops a persons expectations or
beliefs about the organization
Anticipatory Socialization
(Cont.)
Two issues
Realism of self and organization
Congruence of self and organization
Realism: responsibility of both the
organization and the individual
Organization: present the positive and
negative sides of working for the company
Potential employee: present an accurate
picture of self
Anticipatory Socialization
(Cont.)
Congruence of self and organization
Are your skills and abilities congruent with
the needs of the organization?
Can the organization satisfy your needs
and offer you a congruent set of values?
Anticipatory Socialization
(Cont.)
Lack realism and congruence
High turnover
Low satisfaction
Low organizational commitment
Poor job performance
Clear negative effects for both the
individual and the organization
Anticipatory Socialization
(Cont.)
Ways people learn about an
organization
Advertising
Press accounts
Web pages
Present employees, especially alumni
Internet searches
Electronic databases
Entry/Encounter Stage
(Breaking In)
Crosses the boundary of the
organization and enters this second
stage of socialization
Brings expectations from the
anticipatory stage
Compares expectations to the reality of
the organization
Entry/Encounter Stage (Cont.)
Socialization processes
Purpose: give employee a new self-
image
Process has three steps
Unfreezing: discard old self-image
Changing: move to new self-image
Refreezing: puts the new self-image solidly
in place
Metaphor: melting ice cubes in a heart shaped
mold and refreezing the mold
Entry/Encounter Stage (Cont.)
Socialization processes (cont.)
Indoctrination programs
Teach formal rules and procedures (pivotal role
behavior)
Uniform presentation to many new employees
Apprenticeship or mentoring
Assign to a veteran employee
Teaches technical and social parts of job
Varied results because organization has less
control than in indoctrination programs
Entry/Encounter Stage (Cont.)
Socialization processes (cont.)
Training programs
Develop skills important to the job
Goes beyond what employee learned in an
academic setting
Also conveys values and norms of the
organizations culture
Change: Metamorphosis
(Settling In)
Change in new employee as the
entry/encounter stage flows into the
metamorphosis stage
Often clear separation from
entry/encounter stage with rites and
rituals (graduation)
The word metamorphosis emphasizes
the extraordinary changes that can
happen
Change: Metamorphosis
(Cont.)
Successful resolution of multiple
socialization demands
Comfortable in new role
Acceptance of obvious values
Adjusted to group norms
Self-confidence up; anxiety down
Summary
New employees face many challenges
Realistic job previews and employee
socialisation programs can:
Reduce stress
Reduce turnover
Improve productivity