On boarding

On boarding, also known as organizational socialization refers to the

mechanism through which new employees acquire the necessary
knowledge, skills, and behaviors in order to become effective
organizational members and insiders. It is the process of integrating a new
employee into the organization and its culture. Tactics used in this process
include formal meetings, lectures, videos, printed materials, or computer-
based orientations to introduce newcomers to their new jobs and
organizations. Research has demonstrated that these socialization
techniques lead to positive outcomes for new employees such as
higher job satisfaction, better job performance, greater organizational
commitment, and reduction in stress. These outcomes are particularly
important to an organization looking to retain a competitive advantage in
globalized workforce.
The most important thing to remember is that on boarding is not one-size-
fits-all. Different employees, depending on the level of their career, job
function, geographic etc. will require different on boarding techniques to
ensure success.
On boarding is a multifaceted operation influenced by a number of factors
pertaining to both the individual newcomer and the organization.
Researchers have separated these factors into three broad categories: new
employee characteristics, new employee behaviors, and organizational
efforts. New employee characteristics are individual differences across
incoming workers, ranging from personality traits to previous work
experiences. New employee behaviors refer to the specific actions carried
out by newcomers as they take an active role in the socialization process.
Finally, organizational efforts help facilitate the process of acclimating a
new worker to an establishment through activities such as orientation or
mentoring programs. Employees with proactive personality traits and
experiences adjust to an organization more quickly. "Proactive personality"
refers to the tendency to take charge of situations and achieve control over
one's environment. This type of personality predisposes some workers to
engage in behaviors such as information seeking that accelerate the
socialization process.
Tools used for on boarding:
Formal orientations: Formal orientation programs can facilitate
understanding of company culture, and introduces new employees to their
work roles and the organizational social environment. Formal orientation
programs consist of lectures, videotapes, and written material. More recent
approaches, such as computer-based orientations and Internets, have
been used by organizations to standardize training programs across branch
locations. Orientation programs are successful in communicating the
company's goals, history, and power structure.
Recruitment events: Recruitment events play a key role in identifying
which potential employees are a good fit for an organization. Recruiting
events allow employees to gather initial information about an organization's
expectations and company culture. By providing a realistic job preview of
what life inside the organization is like, companies can weed out potential
employees who are clearly a misfit to an organization; individuals can
identify which employment agencies are the most suitable match for their
own personal values, goals, and expectations. New employees who
receive a great amount of information about the job prior to being socialized
tend to adjust better. Organizations can also provide realistic job previews
by offering internship opportunities.
Employee Adjustment:

Role clarity: Role clarity describes a new employee's understanding of

their job responsibilities and organizational role. One of the goals of an on
boarding process is to aid newcomers in reducing uncertainty, making it
easier for them to get their jobs done correctly and efficiently. Because
there often is a disconnect between the main responsibilities listed in job
descriptions and the specific, repeatable tasks that employees must
complete to be successful in their roles, it's vital that managers are trained
to discuss exactly what they expect from their employees. A poor on
boarding program may produce employees who exhibit sub-par productivity
because they are unsure of their exact roles and responsibilities. A strong
on boarding program produces employees who are especially productive;
they have a better understanding of what is expected of them.

Social acceptance: Social acceptance gives new employees the support

needed to be successful. While role clarity is important to a newcomer's
ability to meet the requirements of a job, the feeling of "fitting in" can do a
lot for one's view of the work environment and has been shown to increase
commitment to an organization and decrease turnover. In order for on
boarding to be effective employees must help in their own on boarding
process by interacting with other coworkers and supervisors socially, and
involving themselves in functions involving other employees. The length of
hire also determines social acceptance, often by influencing how much an
employee is willing to change to maintain group closeness. Individuals who
are hired with an expected long-term position are more likely to work
toward fitting in with the main group, avoiding major conflicts. Employees
who are expected to work in the short-term often are less invested in
maintaining harmony with peers.

Knowledge of organizational culture:

Knowledge of organizational culture refers to how well a new employee
understands a company's values, goals, roles, norms, and overall
organizational environment. For example, some organizations may have
very strict, yet unspoken, rules of how interactions with superiors should be
conducted or whether overtime hours are the norm and an expectation.
Knowledge of one's organizational culture is important for the newcomer
looking to adapt to a new company, as it allows for social acceptance and
aids in completing work tasks in a way that meets company standards.
Overall, knowledge of organizational culture has been linked to increased
satisfaction and commitment, as well as decreased turnover.

Successful on boarding programs provide:

 Ongoing, clear, concise and consistent channels of communication

 Facilitate learning at every organizational level.
 Clearly align new hires to key business strategies
 Set milestones to gauge new hire success
 Present information in easily-digestible amounts
 Provide the employee with both standard on boarding elements and
individualized on boarding elements
Limits and criticism of on boarding:
The outcomes of organizational socialization have been positively
associated with the process of uncertainty reduction, but are not desirable
to all organizations. Tactics are related to commitment, but negatively
correlated to role clarity. Because formal socialization tactics protect the
newcomer from their full responsibilities while "learning the ropes," there is
a potential for role confusion once the new hire fully enters the
organization. Depending on the culture of the organization, it may be more
desirable to increase ambiguity, despite the potentially negative connection
with organizational commitment. Additionally, socialization researchers
have had major concerns over the length of time that it takes newcomers to
adjust. There has been great difficulty determining the role that time plays.
 Assignment
On
On boarding
Human Resource Management
Submitted to
Sir Imtiaz Ahmed Mohar
Submitted by
Muhammad Adeel
Enrollment # 01-222181-010
23-11-2018

Department of Management sciences (MS)

BAHRIA UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD.