Getting on board: Organizational socialization and the contribution of social capital

Abstract

When starting a new job, newcomers strive to learn the tasks and expectations of their work, decipher the unwritten rules or norms of the culture, and achieve membership in the organization. The literature on the socialization of newcomers in organizations typically links success to the ability of the newcomer to learn to fit in. Yet recent empirical studies identified coworkers and managers as sharing the responsibility for successful socialization. The purpose of this study was to investigate the orientation and socialization processes (also known as onboarding) from the broader perspective of social capital. The concept of social capital generally describes the value and resources of social relations and network ties afforded to members of social networks or groups. Through a set of in-depth interviews with newly hired engineers in a large manufacturing organization, newcomers reported how they learned about and integrated into the social networks that made up their workplace. Overall, it was the quality of the relationships newcomers formed with coworkers and managers that was the primary driver of socialization outcomes.

Socialization into the Workplace: A Newcomer’s Chitchat with Colleagues on Facebook Status Updates

“…Hana-809 colleagues barely talked in status updates in work hours, but usually after work and at midnight. Whereas both the new and the integral share the responsibility for workplace socialization (Holmes, 2004;Korte & Lin, 2013), the methodological design focused on Sam, a new crew member who had joined in the store for a few months (at the start of the data collection period). He was a full-time university student at that time (see Appendix II for information of other main participants).…”

“…While this somewhat denotes a strategy of being "workshy", the self-disclosure states that Sam has caught some unofficial ways of doing things. This is a salient indicator of high-degree integration into the workplace (Korte & Lin, 2013).…”

“…The process involves acquisition of conventionalized work patterns and development of social relationships in the workplace (Korte & Lin, 2013). In modern workplaces, the two aspects intersect with each other (Blaka & Filstad, 2007).…”

“…While the chitchat ends here, it indicates that Sam becomes concerned about not only the high-profile workplace activity, but also the uniqueness of the branch where he is working. Behind this concern is his increasing sense of belonging to the workplace at a cognitive level (Korte & Lin, 2013).…”

“…When these conventions are manifested in a single interaction, colleagues will perform participation adhering to the collective and existing norms, and enact reification to personalize the practice based on individual and situated needs (Wenger, 1998). A newcomer's acting in such practices (e.g., avoidance of participation, unexpected reification) can in/directly indicate his or her position in socialization into the workplace (Korte & Lin, 2013).…”