An Experiential Approach to Facilitate Anticipatory Socialization

Abstract

Among university business students today there is much idealism and a strong belief in the rational model of business activity. For those who are headed for initial appointments in corporate structures there will be disillusionment. Whether entering a new organization as a first‐time employee, or entering a new position as an employee of long standing, individuals are likely to experience feelings of anxiety, helplessness, and surprise. This effect is commonly known as “entry shock.” In this paper we (1) review an experiential exercise designed for classroom use, (2) describe implications and use of the exercise in anticipatory socialization to help abate future business entry shock for students, (3) present the results of several such applications of the exercise, and (4) suggest procedures which may be used to facilitate the use of the exercise.

Students' experiences with the business internship program at Kuwait University

“…Relevant employment experience is a valuable attribute for successfully gaining an entry-level position (Alpert et al, 2009;Clark, 2003). Internship helps ease the transition from school to work (Paulson & Baker, 1999). Students with internship experience can gain career advantages in the form of more career choices (Brooks, Cornelius, Greenfield, & Joseph, 1995;Pianko, 1996), eventual permanent employment (Callanan & Benzing, 2004;Knouse, Tanner, & Harris, 1999), and increased monetary compensation (Gault et al, 2000).…”

Surprise and sense making: undergraduate placement experiences in SMEs

“…Wanous (1992) in turn explains that the organisational newcomer usually has over-inflated expectations. Nonetheless, whether Paulson and Baker (1999) are right in suggesting that all organisational entry necessarily entails "entry shock" is questionable and will partly depend on just how novel a situation is, not forgetting that people bring their own interpretive schemes with them (Fournier, 1996). What is clear is that a shift into a new work setting has at least the potential to "shock" which may alter organisational and personal identity (Van Maanen and Schein, 1979;Mackenzie Davey and Arnold, 2000).…”

The million-dollar question: can internships boost employment?

“…Internships provide students with a unique opportunity to improve their perception of job fit in early career, being a helpful experience in making informed career choices (Allen 2011). Students tend to express reduced feelings of entry shock on real world full-time employment (Paulson and Baker, 1999), higher job satisfaction (Gault et al 2010) and greater degree of ambition (Callahan and Benzing 2004).…”