Socializations

Running head: Socializations

Emmanuel A. Turuka

Western Michigan University 

Socializations: Define what it means to be socialized into the organization, and explain in detail what it means to study organizational communication through the process of socialization. Can we use socialization research to improve organizational communication? Explain

The definition of socialization

In general organizational socialization is then the process by which an individual acquires the social knowledge and skills necessary to assume an organizational role. Van Maanen & Schein, (1979) define organizational socialization “is the process whereby an organization teaches an individual the knowledge and skills necessary to assume his or her organizational role.” On the other hand Louis, (1980) and Schein, (1968) explain that It involves teaching newcomers the values, behaviours, social knowledge, and necessary workplace skills needed to successfully assume an organizational role and participate as an organizational member.

In an organizational context “socialization” remains to be a necessary process through which a new employee learns to adapt to an organizational culture, adjust and learn to fit into a new organization or job. It is a process by which an individual learns appropriate attitudes, behaviors and knowledge associated with a particular role in an organization. As have pointed above that any organization has a peculiar culture which we call “organizational culture” therefore for the organization’s culture to be effective it must be transmitted from current organizational members to new members. This process is called organizational socialization. It is especially important in organizations with strong cultures. Organizations with weak cultures have less to transmit and will tend to experience culture change as members come and go with their own particular societal cultures hence its individual members will be replaced over time.

How we study organization vs. socialization?

As many scholars have argued that when an individual begins a job at a new organization, that person may already have some expectations of what the job and the organization will be like. Some of these expectations may be realistic while other expectations may be unrealistic. By using organizational socialization will help to facilitate work adjustment for new employees to adjust the realistic or unrealistic expectations. Many newcomers experience reality shock when their expectations are unmet, regardless of how unrealistic those expectations may be. Newcomers who experience these surprises would try to make sense of them. Based on good organizational socialization, and based on how others within and outside the organization interpret these surprises; the sense making process can help a newcomer resolve unmet expectations. Individuals whose sense making complements the organization are more likely to stay with that organization. Individuals whose sense making attaches negative attributes to the organization are more likely to quit their jobs.

It is true that the organizational socialization process unfolds within human resource management processes. Recruitment and selection systems identify candidates who are considered for employment and those who are eventually hired. These processes are often designed to hire a particular type of person who will fit into the organization. Furthermore, recruitment and selection activities are often first-contact experiences for the newcomer and organization; they help shape initial expectations each has about the other. Open and transparent recruitment process will help the organization very much in a successful organizational socialization which is part of effective organizational communication process though its three phases: anticipatory socialization before joining the organization; encounter after joining the organization; and change: Metamorphosis late stage featuring a new self image. Therefore the result of one stage becomes input to the next stage.

 How we use socialization to improve organizational communication

The general theory asserts that people who are well socialized into an organization are more likely to stay and develop their careers with that organization. This is a critical process for individuals pursuing successful careers and for organizations building effective workforces.

 People who are well socialized are less likely to quit their jobs and more likely to build successful careers within the organization, this process is complex because it involves actions taken by both the newcomer and the organization, and lessons learned may be intentional or unintentional. Newcomers will go through a socialization process, regardless of what the organization may do or not do; thus good human resource management would prescribe some planning to guide employee adjustment to the job and the organization. Transparent human resource practices that support the organization’s mission and values are more likely to help employees make sense of their roles in the organization than management practices that conflict with or confuse employee’s processes support a good person-organization fit will define the extent to which that individual has been successfully socialized.

Individuals should also be proactive managers of the socialization process. By astute observations, selective information seeking, and positive responses to organizational demands, individuals can better determine if the type of person desired by the organization is the type of person the newcomer wants to be. Newcomers should adhere to the organization’s dress code and be sensitive to behaviors that are judged to be acceptable or unacceptable by management. Newcomers should also learn organizational jargon and acronyms quickly in order to avoid calling attention to themselves as “outsiders,” naïve to insider language. Finally, newcomers with exceptional job performance may be identified as having high potential in the organization with great value for long-term career success

Organizations are made up of people each following ends that are to some degree unique. But, since these people interact with one another and share information, purposes, and approaches to the various everyday problems they face, organizations can be viewed as arenas in which an almost infinite series of negotiated situations arise over who will do what, when, where, and in what fashion. Over time, these negotiations result in an emerging set of organizationally defined roles for people to fulfill.

Socializations vs. Individual critique;

Socialization for new comer sometimes brings up misunderstandings and misinterpretations between individual and organizational culture which may be sometimes related to different worldviews, this misfit occurs between an organization’s culture and the individual’s cultural background, is known as emotional conflict which is interpersonal disputes and characterized by anger, frustration, and other negative feelings. Emotional conflict can sabotage organizations and decrease performance. Therefore this will end up resulting the organization may experience negative consequences like lower employee morale, lower levels of motivation, lower job performance, and a higher level of employee turnover

 Conclusion

Therefore organizational socialization as I have discussed in this paper involves to the type and extent of information that new employees learn when entering an organization. The information learned helps new employees to understand the nature of the organization and their specific work roles. With this information, the employee is able to make decisions about whether or not to form a connection to the organization. The strength of the employee's commitment is characterized by the extent to which the employee believes in and accepts the organization's values and objectives, his/her eagerness to put forth effort for the organization, and his/her desire to stay with the organization as an active member. A new employee learns about the types of rules and/or principles the organizations have put forward and are considered important to its integrity. As the last content area, history includes information about the organization's traditions, customs, myths, and rituals used to foster a certain culture in the work environment. Understanding of the culture helps the new employee to know what types of behaviors are considered acceptable or unacceptable in the organization it also includes an understanding about both formal and informal organizational values and goals

 References:

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Van Maanen, J. and Schein, E. (1979), “Towards a theory of organizational socialization”, in Staw, B.M. (Ed.), Research in Organizational Behavior, JAI Press, Greenwich, CT, pp. 209-64.