Welcome to

EMPLOYEE
SOCIALIZATION AND ORIENTATION
 SOCIALIZATION: THE PROCESS OF
BECOMING AN INSIDER

Organizational socializations defined as “the process by which an

individual acquires the social knowledge and skills necessary to
assume an organizational role.

The net result of this process is that someone who is considered by

organization members to be an outsider is transformed into a
productive and accepted insider. While this obviously applies to
new hires, it can also apply to transferred and promoted
employees as well
 Some Fundamental Concepts of Socialization

Organizational Roles: A role is a set of behaviors expected of

individuals who hold a given position in a group.

Roles define how a person fits into an organization and what he

or she must do to perform effectively. For example, when we
encounter a receptionist, we expect that person to perform
certain functions of that role, such as greeting us, providing us
with information, and directing us to those in the organization
we wish to see.
 Some Fundamental Concepts of Socialization

Edgar Schein describes three dimensions of organizational roles.

These are:
1.Inclusionary—a social dimension (e.g., outsider, probationary
status, permanent status)

2.Functional—a task dimension (e.g., sales, engineering, plant

operations)

3.Hierarchical—a rank dimension (e.g., line employee,

supervisor, middle manager, officer)
 Some Fundamental Concepts of Socialization

• Group Norms: Norms are the rules of conduct (typically

unwritten) that are established by group members to influence
or control behavior within a group.

• Group norms are an important part of the socialization process

because they indicate the behaviors that insiders agree are
appropriate. Newcomers generally must learn to behave in ways
that are consistent with group norms if they are to be accepted
as an insider.
 Some Fundamental Concepts of Socialization

Expectations: Expectations are also central to organizational

socialization. An expectation is a belief about the likelihood that
something will occur.

Expectations can encompass behaviors, feelings, policies, and

attitudes. Newcomers have expectations about how they will be
treated, what they will be asked to do, and how they will feel in
the new organization, among other things
 Content of Socialization.
Cynthia Fisher divides the content of socialization into five
categories of learning:

1.Preliminary learning—including the discovery that learning will be necessary,

what to learn, and whom to learn from

2.Learning about the organization—including its goals, values, and policies.

3.Learning to function in the work group—including the values, norms, roles,

and friendships within it

4.Learning how to perform the job—including the necessary skills and

knowledge for a particular job

5.Personal learning—learning from experience with the job and organization,

including self-identity, expectations, self-image, and motivation.
 Outcomes of Socialization.
In general, successful socialization means that the newcomer develops:

Greater knowledge of the organization and work group;

Attitudes that make performing, fitting into, and remaining with the
organization and work group possible; and

Behaviors that lead to personal and organizational effectiveness.

Unsuccessful socialization is generally believed to result in unmet

expectations, dissatisfaction, lack of commitment, and turnover etc.
 Stage Models of Socialization

Feldman’s Model of Organizational Socialization

 Stage Models of Socialization

Anticipatory Socialization, begins before the individual joins the organization. In this
stage, the person forms an impression about what membership in an organization
is like. Information about organizations is available from a variety of sources, such
as rumors, anecdotes, advertisements, the media, employment recruiters, and
increasingly through the Internet.
Encounter stage of the socialization process begins when a recruit makes a formal
commitment to join an organization. A formal commitment may mean signing an
employment contract or simply accepting an offer of employment or membership.

Change And Acquisition. This stage occurs when new employees accept the norms and
values of the group, master the tasks they must perform, and resolve any role
conflicts and overloads. Employees who successfully complete this stage will likely
be satisfied, internally motivated and involved in the job, perform their jobs
dependably, and remain with the organization.
 THE REALISTIC JOB PREVIEW
A realistic job preview (RJP) involves providing recruits with complete
information about a job and an organization.
Vaccination Against Unrealistically High Expectations—providing accurate
information to outsiders is similar to vaccinating people against a disease. Recruits
are given information that permits them to adjust their expectations to then
reality of the job.
Self-Selection—realistic expectations enable recruits to decide whether the job and
the organization match their individual needs. If they are incompatible, the recruit
will probably not accept the position, thus saving the organization from hiring
someone who would likely be dissatisfied and quit.
Coping Effect—realistic expectations help newcomers develop a clear idea of their
roles, which in turn enables them to develop coping strategies for performing their
jobs effectively.
Personal Commitment—a recruit who makes a decision to join an organization based
on a realistic perspective will likely develop a stronger personal commitment to
that choice. This encourages job satisfaction and a long-term commitment to
remain with an organization.
Evaluation criteria for realistic job preview
 Objectives of Employee Orientation Programs

Commonly cited objectives of orientation programs include

the following:
• Reduce a newcomer’s stress and anxiety
• Reduce start-up costs
• Reduce turnover
• Reduce the time it takes for new comers to reach proficiency
(training and breaking time)
• Assist newcomers in learning an organization’s values, culture,
and expectations
• Assist newcomers in acquiring appropriate role behaviors
• Help newcomers adjust to a work group and its norms
• Encourage the development of positive attitudes
 Determination of Orientation
Program Content

A Checklist of Topics to Include in an Orientation Program

1. Where do I work?
• A tour of the employee’s work area, the facility, and a map or listing of relevant nearby
businesses (restaurants, shopping, dry cleaning, places to walk, etc.)
2. What do I need?
• Information about obtaining an organizational identification card/badge, keys, setting up an
e-mail account, computer and password, telephone, parking permit, office supplies, and so on
3. How is the organization protecting me and my health?
• Basic ergonomics and safety training
• Safety and emergency contacts
4. What do we do in this organization?
• Organization history, mission, vision, goals, values, and an overview of what the organization
does
• Organizational leadership and organization chart
• Overview of the industry or industries in which the organization operates
 Determination of Orientation
Program Content
5. What do I do?
• Review of a current job description, including specific job requirements
• Technical or job-specific information (or how to schedule training for such information with the
appropriate supervisor or coworker)
• Schedule for the employee’s first week on the job
6. How do things work?
• Summary of performance appraisal or performance management system, that is, how, when, and
by whom employees will be evaluated, as well as general performance expectations
• Review of compensation procedures: pay periods, direct deposit, and how and where to complete
time sheets, and so on
• Review of the benefits package (e.g., health insurance, vacation/sick/personal leave policies, tuition
reimbursement, retirement)
• Information about scheduling a physical exam (if required), and what to expect during such an
exam
• Career development information, for example, potential promotion opportunities, career paths,
career resources and information available
• Overview of the employee handbook, policies and procedures, code of ethics, and financial/credit
union information
• Traditions, lunch, dress code (e.g., casual dress Fridays)
• Community and extracurricular activities (e.g., sports teams, special events)
A Timetable of Events for Corning’s Orientation Program
 Orientation Roles
• One of the most important elements of an effective orientation
experience is frequent interaction between newcomers and their
supervisors, coworkers, and other organization members.
The Supervisor
(1) your opportunity to succeed here is very good;
(2) disregard‘ hall talk’;
(3) take the initiative in communication; and
(4) get to know your supervisor.
This program was found to significantly reduce turnover, training time,
absenteeism, waste and rejects, and cost.
 Orientation Roles
Other important supervisor orientation functions include:
1. Providing (or arranging for) training in job specifics
2. Buffering the newcomer from demands outside the work group for a period
of time to facilitate job learning
3. Providing challenging initial assignments
4. Conducting timely, constructive performance evaluations
5. Diagnosing problems at work that create conflicts
6. Using the newcomer’s arrival as an opportunity to reallocate tasks or
redesign
work to improve effectiveness and employee satisfaction with the work system
 Orientation Roles

Coworkers. Newcomers to an organization view interactions with coworkers—like the

providing of support, information, and training—as particularly helpful in their
socialization.
The HRD Staff. The primary role of the HRD staff in new employee orientation is to
design and oversee the orientation program. Specifically, this may include
producing or obtaining materials (such as workbooks and seminar leader guides),
conducting training sessions, designing and conducting an evaluation study, and in
some cases conducting parts of the orientation program itself.

The Newcomer. The newcomer should be encouraged to play the lead role in the
orientation process by being an active learner. Research on adult learning (recall
our discussion in Chapter 3) suggests that adults should be comfortable in this
role, in that they typically seek out information that is relevant to their situation
and to the goals they are trying to achieve.
 Problems with Orientation Programs

Many problems or criticisms of orientation programs have been identified:

• Too much emphasis on paperwork
• Information overload (giving newcomers too much information too quickly)
• Information irrelevance (general or superficial information that is not directly
relevant to the newcomer’s job assignment)
• Scare tactics (heavy emphasis on failure rates or the negative aspects of the
job)
• Too much selling of the organization
• Emphasis on formal, one-way communication (using lectures and videos
without giving newcomers a chance to discuss issues of interest or ask
questions)
• One-shot mentality (e.g., limiting the orientation program to merely the
first day at work)
• No diagnosis or evaluation of the program
• Lack of follow-up
 Information overload

Program designers and deliverers should be sensitive to this issue, and

try to prevent information overload by:
1. Including only essential information during the initial phase of orientation
2. Providing written materials that trainees can take with them and review later
(or look up online), especially for complex benefits plans and important
topics such as the organization’s mission and work rules
3. Conducting the program in phases to space out presentation of the material
(e.g., Southwest Airlines holds its orientation program once a week, rather
than for one week straight)
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4. Following up with newcomers to make sure they understand major issues
and to answer any additional questions they may have
 Designing and Implementing an Employee
Orientation Program
Corning follows ten steps in designing its program:
1. Set objectives; e.g., Corning’s objectives included:
a. Reduce turnover in the first three years of employment by 17
percent
b. Reduce time to learn the job by 17 percent
c. Provide newcomers with a uniform understanding of the
organization
d. Build a positive attitude toward the organization and
communities
2. Form a steering committee
3. Research orientation as a concept
4. Interview recently hired employees, supervisors, and corporate
officers
 Designing and Implementing an Employee
Orientation Program

5. Survey the orientation practices of top companies (the

program at Texas Instruments proved particularly helpful)
6. Survey existing organizational orientation programs and
materials
7. Select content and delivery method
8. Pilot and revise materials
9. Produce and package print and audiovisual materials
10. Train supervisors and install the system
Design Elements Common to Effective Orientation Programs
Thank You ALL