provide 3-4 paragraphs post (team 4)
1-What are 4 key things you learned about the topic from readingtheir paper?
2-How does the topic relate to you and your current or pastjob?
3-Critique the paper in terms of the organization andquality.
It’s your first day on the job and you’re ecstatic! You’re readyto burst through those doors, meet your new coworkers, and showeveryone what you are capable of. Except this doesn’t happen, yougo in and go unnoticed, everyone is focused on their work andacting like you don’t even exist, a matter of fact you don’t evenknow where to begin. This situation occurs more than we think whennew employees are brought into a new organization without properonboarding training. We chose to discuss the importance of theemployee socialization process and how it impacts an organization’scommitment, tenure, and productivity. Prior to hiring newemployees, most organizations implement an onboarding program tofamiliarize the employee with their new coworkers and leaders,training on their daily tasks, and work processes. We willelaborate on the influence of socialization, its positive andnegative relationships, the influence of tenure and jobperformance, the importance of onboarding training for new hires,and its impact on employee performance and productivity. Thepurpose of the employee socialization process is to acclimate thenew hire on work expectations and get a better understanding of theculture and values of the organization.
Have you ever thought about how much time people spend in theoffice? Gone are the days of the cliché’, “I am only here to workand not to make friends” (Kohll, 2018). It is no wonder buildingrelationships at work is incredibly important for not only the wellbeing of employees themselves but also the productivity within anorganization (Kohll, 2018). Socialization stimulates the skills andcustoms necessary to engage within the corporate culture andmotivation needed to connect with others (Kohll, 2018). Therefore,socialization molds the way employees view teamwork, work habits,and collaboration among fellow coworkers (Brown, 2014). Inaddition, socialization supports new hires adapting and adjustingto their work environment, values and standards (Reio &Callahan, 2004).
Employee candidates are determined by their qualifications andinterview process by an organization. However, how does anorganization identify if their new hire is the right fit?Organizational socialization is fundamental to ensure new employeesconnect with the values, norms and other employees of anorganization (Cable & Parson, 2001). A study showed that itcould be very stressful starting somewhere new (Cable & Parson,2001). In addition, organizational theorists concluded how anorganization manages or fails to manage the initial interactionwith newcomers with their roles and other team members coulddetermine the longevity of that employee (Cable & Parson,2001). This sends a distinct indicator about the organization’sculture (Cable & Parson, 2001). If an employee feels as if they“fit in” they will remain employed, productivity will be beneficialto the organization and committed to upholding the culture, values,and norms of the organization.
The text identifies for employees to work effectively together,everyone in the organization needs to grasp the culture byunderstanding power, ranking, rewards and incentives, andlimitations/rules on certain behaviors (Brown, 2014). Research hasshown two approaches to investigating organizational socializationin the workplace, distal and proximal (Reio & Callahan, 2004).Distal relates to the tradition and culture of the organization,answering the question to what is learned (Reio & Callahan,2004). Proximal relates more to how and why learning occurs inrelation to gaining job knowledge and information required to knowhow to perform one’s daily duties and role (Reio & Callahan,2004). Socialization is a continuous process, which employeesrespond to emerging external and internal variables (Reio &Callahan, 2004).
When employees experience organization socialization, they canacclimate to the nature of their organization and learn how toparticipate in it. When socialization is done properly, it canencourage a positive relationship between an organization and itsemployees, including commitment (Cohen & Veled-Hecht, 2010).Organizational commitment is a sense of faith and identification inthe organization and its mission. Commitment can be expressed inseveral different ways, such as coming to work on time, beingwilling to take on different tasks, and staying at the company(Cohen & Veled-Hecht, 2010).
Organizational socialization and commitment directly relate toeach other. As employees experience socialization and learn abouttheir organization, they become more dedicated to it (Cohen &Veled-Hecht, 2010). For an organization to develop commitmentthrough socialization, certain things must be taken intoconsideration. One example of this is organizational justice (Cohen& Veled-Hecht, 2010). Employees must believe that theirorganization is just and that they will be treated fairly by itbefore they can become committed to it.
Another aspect to consider is that socialization happens mainlyin the beginning phases of employment (Cohen & Veled-Hecht,2010). During this time, employers have a strong influence on thefuture commitment of their employees (Cohen & Veled-Hecht,2010). Organization socialization that takes place later in anemployees’ employment has a much weaker effect. Thus, organizationsshould make developing commitment a priority for new hires.
Organizational commitment and work performance are oftenexamined together. Work performance refers to an individual’seffort and ability at accomplishing a specific task. Research hasshown organizational commitment to have a positive effect onperformance (Conway & Briner, 2012). Looking at the overallpicture, such commitment impacts performance more so on a unitlevel than a personal level (Conway & Briner, 2012). Forexample, an employee with a strong commitment to their organizationmay step up to assist a co-worker who is struggling with a task.While this may not affect the employee’s personal performance, itassists their unit on a whole (Conway & Briner, 2012).
Using this knowledge, an organization can effectively use theprocess of socialization to improve the performance of theiremployees’. Employees that are heavily committed to theirorganization can be used for more than their face value. Rather,they can be utilized to fill in performance gaps left by others aswell as improve the camaraderie throughout their department (Conway& Briner, 2012).
Organization socialization, being the process of adjustment andlearning that an individual undertakes in the beginning stages ofentering an organization, correlates with employee turnover.Socialization, as stated in the book has four steps in thesocialization process that continues throughout employment oncesomeone enters an organization. They are the initial expectations,the actual encounters within, adjusting to culture and norms, andlastly, receiving feedback (Ongori, 2007). When initialexpectations are not met, it can lead to quick turnover. Turnover,as defined, is the rate employees leave a workplace and arereplaced (Ongori, 2007). There is positive and negative turnover,which normally depends on the culture of the organization.Organization culture, in the book, refers to a specificcivilization within a society or group.
The socialization process of an organization is so in-depth thatany turnover may have a negative relationship associated with it.Turnover is also very costly since it takes so many resources toonboard new employees, including costs of the hiring process andtraining (Ongori, 2007). When new people cycle in so often, itcauses turmoil in the socialization process by constantly adjustingto various individuals, presenting new attitudes and conflict. Itdisrupts the culture and norms of an organization. It displays anegative outlook on the organization and shows major inconsistency.Therefore, it demonstrates a negative relationship in thesocialization process within an organization.
Organization tenure can be defined as the time that an employeeholds a position before moving to another position. In most cases,tenure has a favorable relationship with the way an employeeperforms, which is considered job performance. Although time is nota strong measure of performance, as may be the complexity of a jobor a strenuous task attached to a job. The more complex a job is,the more time it takes to acquire proficiency and learn how tosolve problems effectively. Human capital theory states that anemployee would perform better at their job with tenure due togathering knowledge and being able to apply it to the tasks athand. The motivation and job design theory state the contrary, thatthe longer an employee’s tenure is, the less motivated and highperforming they become (Bartomiejczak, 2015).
Traditionally, organizational tenure is favorable whenassociated with job performance. Over a time period, tenure provesto be less beneficial as the period in office increases. Tenure ismore important early on in a career of an employee and is a keymotivational factor that contributes to job performance(Bartomiejczak, 2015). At the beginning of 4 to 7 years, tenure isimportant and directly related to performance but after 10 to 14years it is completely unrelated (Bartomiejczak, 2015). We believeincreased organizational tenure can lead to increased levels ofstress and anxiety in the workplace, which can develop into certainramifications such as dissatisfaction. When an employee’s tenure intheir current position is not reciprocated with the organization,it forces them to be less motivated to keep their job performanceat an optimal level that would be expected. Job performance andtenure are interrelated and hold different outlooks into eachscenario.
New hire training is essential in the progress of employees intheir roles (Bauer, 2015). The first training employees experience,are to set up expectations and core principles that the companywishes the new employees to learn and embrace (Bauer, 2015). “Newemployees move from being outsiders to organizational insiders”(Bauer, 2015, pg. 51). It is also very important for making surenew hires begin to learn and communicate together. Individualsbeginning their careers together with new hire training are able tosocialize, grow and share similar organizational values (Bauer,2015). There is a higher level of organizational commitmentcompared to employees that do not attend new hire training (Bauer,2015).
In today’s world, employees are often changing their jobs withnew organizations. Due to this fact, organizations cannot thrivewithout putting in place a successful organizational socializationprocess for new hires (Bauer, 2015). There is a direct correlationwith the training new hires receive to their work attitude and workethic. In fact, if the organization instills their core values andstrong principles to an employee, the individual will start theirrole with a positive mindset (Bauer, 2015). “However, ineffectivesocialization can cause employees to leave their jobs prematurelyor ineffectiveness on the job” (Bauer, 2015, pg. 53).
In new hire training, newcomers face multiple uncertaintiesregarding their roles and responsibilities (Bauer, 2015). Newemployees come with a mindset to seek information, receivefeedback, and build relationships (Bauer, 2015). The duty falls tothe employer to provide formal new hire orientation training,realistic previews of the job, and experts that have been with theorganization for some time, to ensure the correct message is givento all newcomers (Bauer, 2015). New hires will socially adaptduring this time by accepting organizational insiders with theknowledge and culture they need to embrace (Bauer, 2015). Theoutcomes from this new hire training will be satisfaction,increased performance, less turnover, and serious commitment(Bauer, 2015).
According to the Rachel Silverman from the WSJ, companies shouldembrace making the first impression for employees more fun(Silverman, 2013). “Companies are turning new hire training to amore collegiate than corporate experience” (Silverman, 2013).During this time, organizational socialization and social adaptionof new hires take place. New hire training includes co-workernetworking sessions and time for newcomers to build their skills(Silverman, 2013). It’s also a time for a company to show theirappreciation for the employee. Employers can encourage new hires todemonstrate what they have to offer to the company (Silverman,2013). This method enables employees to get to know each other fromday one (Silverman, 2013). New hires start learning the skills,abilities, and personalities of their colleagues, which willprovide the employee with more confidence when starting their role(Silverman, 2013).
Optimal performance and maximum efficiency by a new employeewill not occur until that employee has completed the organization’ssocialization process, regardless of how it is designed andoperated. Moreover, the organization will not be operating at itsmaximum efficiency until each employee on the payroll of theorganization has achieved optimal performance. From initialorientation, through training and possibly apprenticeships and thenperformance evaluations, the process will be unique to thatorganization. Different business models require different processesfor socialization. For example, Google has a corporateorganizational structure headed by a triumvirate, whichcollectively oversees “controlled chaos”. Google’s orientation mayinclude a discussion of how regulated mob control works. Comparethat with the orientation that a young soldier recruit receivesupon arriving at boot camp. There the soldier will participate inseveral sessions devoted to learning how fast he or she can do whatthey are told without question. This demonstrates the range ofpolicies, procedures, and levels of complexity that may be involvedin adopting an effective socialization process for eachorganization.
Nevertheless, one element that is common to all socializationprocesses is the “people dimension”, referred to in “Happinessand Organizational Socialization: Exploring the Mediating Role ofRestorative Environments, by Sabbarwal Passi Sachita & GautamRuchi”. Allowing workers to develop satisfying andsatisfactory working relationships with other members of theworkplace will lead to increased individual productivity andorganizational efficiency.
In turn, the “people dimension” includes job satisfaction as astrong component. Kort observed that traditional human resourcesdevelopment offices tend to underestimate the dynamic socialprocesses that start with the initial employment orientation (Kort,2009, pg. 5). Kort went on to conclude, based on collected data,that high-quality relationships have a positive effect on learningand incorporation into the work group and thereby theorganization.
An enhanced understanding of the social dynamics at play shouldbe considered of strategic importance to the human resourcedevelopment office of any organization that is intent on increasingits competitiveness, productivity, and ultimately itsprofitability. Equally important, the social dynamics will impactthe organization’s ability to attract new talent and to retain goodtalent for the stability of the organization and for futureexpansion. Employee job satisfaction, at the optimal level, shouldgenerate a commitment to the long-term success of the organization.The employee can be given an incentive to operate at ahigh-performance level, in part, by successfully meeting thechallenges presented, supported by management.
Another key component of the job satisfaction social dynamic isthe understanding that the employee has regarding advancement inposition and salary, based on a fair opportunity. Job security canbe tenuous at best in today’s economy and the more secure employeesfeel about their current and future prospects, less attention canbe paid to those concerns and more attention paid to the importantbusiness of the company.
The objective of the organization is to implement the employeesocialization process in the beginning of a new hire’s employment.This is a crucial aspect of the onboarding process for thepreparation and productivity of a new employee. We discovered thatchoosing to implement socialization early on in a new employee’sdevelopment is beneficial to their future and the organization aswell. It is the organization’s duty to maintain a positiverelationship between the employee’s commitment and performance toreduce turnover, since it is costly. Taking you back to the firstday at your new job, imagine if you received proper onboardtraining and how smooth it would be to transition and feelcomfortable around your peers. You might enjoy going to work!Therefore, we recommend building relationships and applying theemployee socialization process early on to ensure careerdevelopment and longevity.
