Current Topics in HRM

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Current Topics in HRM
Week 5 Employee socialization
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Socialization

• Anticipatory socialization
• the process that helps individuals develop
  expectations about the company, job, working
  conditions and interpersonal relationships
• Encounter phase
• Phase of socialization that occurs when an
  employee begins a new

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Socialization

• Settling-in phase
• a phase where employees are comfortable with job
  demands and social relationships
• Eventually, employees should know the following
• org history, org goals, language,
• politics, people, performance proficiency
• What are they? (p. 249)

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3 major socialization factors

• Organizational
• Group
• Individual
• These three socialization factors lead to a
  number of cognitive outcomes
• (see Figure 1 on p. 239)
• These cognitive outcomes lead to positive work
  outcomes
• What are the frequently measured proximal
  outcomes of socialization? (See Figure 1 on p.
  239)

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Organizational Socialization

• (1) collective vs. individual, (2) formal vs.
  informal, (3) sequential vs. random, (4) serial
  vs. disjunctive, (5) investiture vs. divestiture
• Socialization programs
• What did Anderson et al. (1996) find about
  orientation programs? (p. 245)

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Group socialization

• Being socialized by peers, groups, or supervisors
• Social support
• Social learning
• Person-group fit
• What does Kirchmeyer (1995) find about newcomers
  demographic profiles? (p. 253)

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Individuals proactive behaviors

• Uncertainty reduction theory
• What does this theory say about newcomers? (p.
  236)
• Information seeking
• What do Ostroff and Kozlowski (1992) find about
  information seeking (p. 246, in the middle of the
  page)
• What type of information and how do newcomers
  seek? (Ostroff and Kozlowski, 1992, p. 246-247)
• Behavioral self-management
• What is it? What does it help socialization? (p.
  247)

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The role of individual differences

• Self-efficacy
• Beliefs in ones abilities
• What does Saks (1995) find about newcomers
  self-efficacy? (p. 254)
• Previous work experiences
• What did Meglino et al. (1993) find about
  previous work experience (p. 253)?

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A Socialization Process Model
Newcomer task-oriented info seeking
Role Clarity Self efficacy
Job performance
Managerial clarifying behaviors
Newcomer socially-oriented info seeking
Job satisfaction Commitment
Feelings of Acceptance
Managerial supporting behaviors
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Implications for HRM