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Notes on Q2 – Human resources management | Anna Sonnenschein (Socialisation and Onboarding)

Socialisation in Human Resources Management (HRM)

  • Focus: onboarding new entrants and how the socialisation process shapes performance, culture uptake, and long-term fit.
  • Core idea: The way you onboard and socialize a new employee strongly affects their eventual performance and integration.
  • Two broad categories of elements learned by newcomers:
    • Tangible elements
    • Intangible elements

Tangible elements (learned during induction/meetings)

  • 1) Organisation structure: hierarchy, departments; often shown via an org chart.
  • 2) Goals and mission (power branding) – easy to explain and align with from day one.
  • 3) Tasks and responsibilities – may have been explained earlier but reinforced during onboarding.
  • 4) Practical side of things – how budgets are used and how to complete the required paperwork (example: budget of $\$5000 and corresponding processes).

Intangible elements (learned through immersion and observation)

  • 1) The past determines the present
    • Best initial approach is to observe quietly; refrain from “showing you’re an asset” by criticizing early on.
    • Speaking up too soon can provoke defensive reactions from long-tenured staff who may feel their expertise is being challenged.
    • Difference between being right and being told you’re right; ideas may have been tried and failed before.
  • 2) Subconscious core values
    • Deeply embedded values that are rarely explicit but guide behavior (e.g., a culture of not gossiping).
    • Examples: equality between men and women; these are often assumed and not verbalised.
  • 3) Rituals and ceremonies
    • Understanding and participating in rituals (e.g., who brings cake for birthdays, silent hour at day’s end, preparedness expectations for meetings).
    • Misreading rituals can alienate newcomers or mark them as outsiders.
  • 4) Symbols (culture-reinforcing artifacts)
    • Rewards and recognition objects (Employee of the Month cups, plaques, or parking spots).
    • The message is not just what is rewarded, but why (e.g., sales success, customer satisfaction, collaboration).
    • Positive signaling vs negative signaling (e.g., wall of shame as coercive power; presenteeism risk).
  • 5) Stories and heroes
    • Anecdotal stories about peak performers signal expected values, even if the story’s veracity is uncertain.
  • 6) Implicit dress code
    • Dress expectations may be explicit or implicit; norms emerge from observation and social cues (e.g., a day when shorts are noticed as inappropriate).
  • 7) Small traits of colleagues
    • Subtle patterns (e.g., best times to ask Bob for help) learned informally; not typically discussed in interviews.

Measuring the quality of a socialisation process

  • Four key variables to assess socialisation quality:
    • 1) Task management (task mastery) – 2 levels:
    • a) Ability to reach targets, solve problems with minimal help.
    • b) Deeper understanding of the job and organisation; foreseeing and adapting to problems; higher creativity.
    • 2) Social integration in the work group – how the newcomer fits, makes friends, and becomes a functional part of the team.
    • 3) Knowledge and acceptance of culture – understanding and internalising organisational values.
    • 4) Role clarity – clarity about the job and the additional role the new hire is expected to play (e.g., a professor hired to teach but also to catalyse change and positivity).
  • If the organisation scores well on all four, socialisation is considered very good.

The onboarding sequence: from recruitment to early integration

  • When a candidate is hired, the organisation communicates strengths and areas for improvement.
  • The initial call often focuses on positive aspects first, then weaknesses, followed by role clarity and expectations beyond the formal job description.
  • The best calls are led by the direct supervisor or HR and occur at the start of the onboarding process.

Anticipatory stage and in-advance socialisation (before start)

  • Anticipatory stage (In-advance socialisation): preparing candidates before their first day.
  • Sense-making framework:
    • Reference frame: built from life experiences; shapes how new information is interpreted.
    • Anchors: strong beliefs that guide interpretation and action (can be healthy or unhealthy).
    • Examples of anchors:
    • Positive: a bias towards collaboration after a crisis was managed with better communication.
    • Negative: anti-vaccine attitudes post-COVID; people resist change by clinging to prior beliefs.
  • Psychological inoculation (Gideon’s approach): expose the newcomer to multiple, refutable statements so they learn to challenge rather than accept them blindly.
    • Technique: role-play and self-reflection to identify weak rationale and strengthen critical thinking.
  • Intervision (self-help group) for newcomers with HR facilitation
    • Self-help groups (e.g., new professor group) share experiences and mistakes.
    • HR adds a facilitator to detect misaligned reference frames and correct them.
  • Anchors are fragile; if incorrect, they can hamper integration. It’s essential to guide new hires to form accurate anchors.

Preparing for the first day

  • Pre-arrival contact (1.2): how to prepare a newcomer for the first day.
    • The caller should be someone familiar (not just a secretary) to signal genuine welcome.
    • Clarify where the newcomer reports on the first day.
    • Confirm start time to avoid delays (use Murphy’s law: things can go wrong).
    • Decide who welcomes (supervisor or higher-level manager) to broaden organizational contact and address potential issues beyond the immediate team.
  • The purpose: create early bonding with broader parts of the organisation and facilitate handling of any bullying or conflicts.

The accommodation stage: the first 6 months of socialisation

  • Two periods to distinguish:
    • 1) The first days at work (encounter phase) – about the first ~4 weeks.
    • 2) The newcomer stage – up to about 6 months, with a slower evolution as routines stabilise.
  • 2.1 In touch with the organisation (the encounter phase)
    • Change is high: new building, job title, salary, tasks/clients, supervisory structure, and colleagues.
    • Inclusionary change: newcomers join central and peripheral groups; the aim is to integrate into the circle.
    • Central members: highly influential; they anchor group norms and behaviors.
    • Peripheral members: less influence; their acceptance is necessary but slower.
  • The group climate (ties-strength) and keeping newcomers engaged
    • Ties-strength analysis measures how strong the connections are between people and how dependent they are on each other.
    • Central members can hinder or help integration; removal of bullies can improve climate.
    • The centre may shift over time; newcomers can gradually move toward the centre with time and with the support of the group.
    • The organization should guide newcomers to avoid fragile anchors that could derail integration.
  • Interventions and monitoring
    • Intervision and HR facilitation help detect misaligned reference frames and prevent harmful dynamics (e.g., bullying, cliques).
    • The organisation often uses a facilitator to connect newcomers with a broader network and to correct misperceptions.

The newcomer phase and preparation for impact

  • In the newcomer phase, individuals are still peripheral; they contribute but are not yet indispensable to others.
  • The process can be disrupted by language barriers, cultural differences, or lack of inclusive rituals.
  • The trainer or supervisor should ensure the newcomer isn’t isolated and has access to a broader network.

The adaptation stage (after 6 months to 1–2 years)

  • By this stage, many people have adapted to the organisation’s values and ways of working, though not universally.
  • Some authors argue socialisation is never perfect; equilibrium can decline as stressors accumulate.
  • Reevaluation dynamics:
    • People often reassess their happiness and alignment after 1–2 years.
    • Scale example: 1–10 happiness self-rating; shifts can occur due to life events or changes at work.
    • Positive changes (e.g., personal relationships, new opportunities) can raise satisfaction; negative triggers (e.g., stress, unmet expectations) can erode it.
  • Potential outcomes during reevaluation:
    • Satisfaction
    • Frustration
    • Creative individualism
    • Rebellion
  • The process is dynamic: a previously high-performing team can drift toward lower engagement if norms are not reinforced.

The emotional and motivational aspects of socialisation

  • Satisfaction is the ideal outcome: values alignment, belonging, and willingness to behave in line with the culture.
  • When alignment weakens, employees may express hidden frustration or cynical attitudes.
  • Different levels of commitment:
    • Effective commitment (high alignment with values)
    • Normative or continuance commitment (stays for reasons other than values alignment)
  • Rebellion and creative individualism as responses to misalignment:
    • Rebellion: overt resistance to core values (e.g., dress codes, norms).
    • Creative individualism: partial alignment, choosing which values to adopt while remaining independent in others.
  • The role of leadership in managing rebels and maintaining a coherent culture balance.

Proactivity, mentorship, and the role of mentors

  • Proactivity and initial motivation influence how easily newcomers socialise:
    • Proactive newcomers tend to show higher task mastery, better social integration, and stronger knowledge of power dynamics in the organization.
    • Role clarity may remain unaffected by individual proactivity; it typically depends on explicit guidance from supervisors or HR.
  • Mentorship (Godmother/Godfather model)
    • A mentor helps ensure quick integration, acts as a liaison, and connects the newcomer to multiple parts of the organisation.
    • The mentor should be a carrying member (trusted, influential) but aligned with the organisation’s values to avoid transferring rebellious tendencies.
    • The mentor’s duties:
    • Look out for the newcomer and answer questions
    • Play a liaison role to connect the newcomer with as many colleagues as possible
    • Be proactive in engaging with the mentee during the first ~6 months, then gradually step back
    • Incentives for mentors may include bonuses if mentees are fully integrated or performance metrics related to group success; otherwise, mentorship may be undermined in competitive environments (e.g., tournament wage structures).
    • Selection criteria for mentors: carrying members who align with organisational values

The importance of mentorship structure and organisational culture

  • Mentorship is more effective when mentors are involved early and maintain contact with the mentee across multiple departments.
  • The organisational culture influences mentorship effectiveness; in highly competitive contexts, extra incentives may be necessary to encourage mentors to invest time.

Signals, rules, and ethical considerations in socialisation

  • Signals through symbols and rituals reinforce culture but can also create pressure or exclusion if misapplied.
  • Coercive signaling (e.g., wall of shame) can boost short-term compliance but undermine long-term engagement and trust.
  • Rituals of entry, if they exist, should be monitored to avoid abusive or bullying dynamics (e.g., extreme initiation rituals).
  • Ethical implications: ensure rituals do not cross into harassment or bullying; adjust or block extreme practices.
  • Practical implications: provide mentorship, intervision, and inclusive rituals to support integration while minimizing harm.

Foundational connections and practical implications

  • Socialisation is anchored in foundational HR principles:
    • Aligning individual values with organisational values (P-O fit)
    • Building social networks and ensuring broad-based integration to avoid cliques
    • Using structured onboarding to reduce uncertainty and anxiety for newcomers
  • Real-world relevance:
    • Effective onboarding reduces turnover, accelerates productivity, and improves team cohesion.
    • Poor socialisation can lead to persistent conflict, high turnover, and negative work climate.
  • Ethical and philosophical implications:
    • Balancing organizational cultural norms with individual autonomy
    • Managing power dynamics to avoid coercive practices
    • Encouraging openness to change while maintaining core values

Notes on numerical references and formulas

  • Budget example: 5000 (budget allocation and related documentation)
  • Time references: 4 weeks (encounter phase), 6 months (newcomer phase), 1–2 years (adaptation stage)
  • Proportions and scales:
    • 1–10 scale for evaluating job satisfaction and socialisation outcomes: 1,2,3,\dots,10
  • Process durations and stages are described in qualitative terms, but the timing is important for planning onboarding workflows and mentorship assignments.

Connections to broader HR concepts

  • Onboarding quality links to performance management, retention, and organizational development.
  • Socialisation models relate to change management, culture change initiatives, and leadership development.
  • Practical implications for practice:
    • Design anticipatory socialisation activities (reference frame building, inoculation exercises, intervision groups)
    • Establish clear first-day procedures (welcoming process, reporting location, and contact persons)
    • Implement mentorship programs with transparent incentives and selection criteria
    • Monitor group dynamics with ties-strength analyses to identify central and peripheral members and adjust interventions accordingly
    • Use rituals and symbols to reinforce positive culture while avoiding coercive or exclusionary practices

Summary of key takeaways

  • The onboarding process is critical for performance; both tangible and intangible learnings matter.
  • Socialisation unfolds in anticipatory, accommodation, and adaptation stages, each with specific tasks and risks.
  • Anchors, reference frames, and psychological inoculation help manage resistance to new ideas and facilitate smoother integration.
  • Intervision, mentorship, and inclusive rituals support newcomers’ social integration and reduce the risk of exclusion or bullying.
  • Measuring socialisation quality across task mastery, social integration, culture knowledge, and role clarity provides a comprehensive view of onboarding success.
  • Proactivity and mentorship enhance integration, but must be aligned with organisational values and compensated where necessary to sustain efforts in competitive environments.