Socializing, Orienting, and Developing Employees

1. Socializing, Orienting, and Developing Employees By Daniel Damaris NS

2. Introduction • When we talk about socializing, orienting, training, and developing employees, we referto a process of helping new employees adapt to their organizations and work responsibilities • These programs are designed to help employees fully understand what workingis about in the organization and help them become fully productive as soon as possible

3. Introduction (cont.) • When employees better understand and acceptbehaviors the organization views as desirable, the likelihood increases that each employee will attain his or her goals and become a happy, well-adjusted employee

4. Socialization (Onboarding) • A process of adaptation that takes place as individuals attempt to learn the values and norms of work roles • If you were to observe new hires at Sun Microsystems today, however, you might see them playing a video game called Rise of the Shadow Specters

5. Socialization (Onboarding) (cont.) • These new employees may appear to be goofing off, but they’re actually learning about the core businesses, mission, and values of Sun Microsystems • The goal is to improve employee retention and productivity as well as help strengthen the employment brand and help with recruiting

6. Riseof the Shadow Specters

7. Assumptions of Employee Socialization • Socialization Strongly Influences Employee Performance and Organizational Stability • New Members Suffer from Anxiety • Socialization Does Not Occur in a Vacuum • Individuals Adjust to New Situations in Remarkably Similar Ways

8. Assumptions of Employee Socialization (cont.) • Socialization Strongly Influences Employee Performance and Organizational Stability • Your work performance depends to a considerable degree on knowing what you should or should not do. Understanding the right way to do a job indicates proper socialization

9. Assumptions of Employee Socialization (cont.) • Organizational Stability Also Increases through Socialization • When, over many years, jobs are filled and vacated with a minimum of disruption, the organization will be more stable. Its objectives and culture transfer more smoothly as longtime employees help teach and reinforce the culture to new employees.

10. Assumptions of Employee Socialization (cont.) • New Members Suffer from Anxiety • Stress is high because the new member feels a lack of identification—if not with the work itself, certainly with a new supervisor, new co-workers, a new work location, and new rules and regulations

11. Assumptions of Employee Socialization (cont.) • New Members Suffer from Anxiety (cont.) • Loneliness and a feeling of isolation are not unusual for new employees • They need need special attentionto put them at ease • The new employees is usually anxious about the new role but motivated to learn the ropes and rapidly become an accepted member of the organization

12. Assumptions of Employee Socialization (cont.) • Socialization Does Not Occur in a Vacuum • Socialization is influenced by both subtle and not so subtle statements and behaviors offered by colleagues, management, employees, clients, and other people with whom new members come in contact • Employers need to make sure the new employee’s experience is consistent with the culture or “employment brand” that was promoted in the recruiting process

13. Assumptions of Employee Socialization (cont.) • Individuals Adjust to New Situations in Remarkably Similar Ways • Anxiety is high at entry and the new member usually wants to reduce that anxiety quickly. Information obtained during recruitment and selection is always incomplete and can be distorted

14. Assumptions of Employee Socialization (cont.) • Individuals Adjust to New Situations in Remarkably Similar Ways (cont.) • New employees, therefore, must clarify their understanding of their role once they are on the job. • Adjustments take time—every new member goes through a settling-in period that tends to follow a relatively standard pattern

15. Socialization Process • Pre-Arrival Stage • Encounter Stage • Metamorphosis Stage

16. Socialization Process (cont.) • Pre-Arrival Stage • This socialization process stage recognizes that individuals arrive in an organization with a set of organizational values, attitudes, and expectations • Encounter Stage • The socialization stage where individuals confront the possible dichotomy between their organizational expectations and reality

17. Socialization Process (cont.) • Metamorphosis Stage • The socialization stage during which the new employee must work out inconsistencies discovered during the encounter stage • Metamorphosis is complete — as is socialization — when new members become comfortable with the organization and their work teams

18. Socialization Model

19. Orientation • Activities that introduce new employees to the organization and their work units • Aspect in Orientation: • Learning the Organizational Culture • The CEO’s Role in Orientation • HRM’s Role in Orientation

20. Learning the Organizational Culture • Organization Culture • The system of sharing meaning within the organization that determines how employees act • An employee who has been properly socialized to the organization’s culture knows what acceptable behavior is and what it is not

21. The CEO’s Role in Orientation • The CEO’s first responsibility is to welcome new employees aboard and talk to them about what a good job choice they made • The CEO is in a position to inspire new employees by talking about what it is like to work for the organization • When a CEO is present, the company shows that it truly cares for its employees

22. HRM’s Role in Orientation • HRM provides the packages a few weeks before new hires start work, they have ample time to make a proper choice—quite possibly one affected by a working spouse’s options • This package generally focuses on important decisions a new employee must make—choice of health insurance, setting up direct deposit of paychecks, and tax-withholding information

23. HRM’s Role in Orientation (cont.) • HRM must spend some orientation time addressing what assistance it can offer to employees in the future • HRM provides an array of services such as career guidance, benefit administration, or employee training

24. The Employee Handbook • A booklet describing important aspects of employment an employee needs to know • They can help new employees understand the elements of organizational culture, which will, hopefully, build loyalty and commitment • Handbooks are tools to educate, inform, and guide employees in the organization

25. Employee Training • A learning experience: it seeks a relatively permanent change in employees that improves job performance • Thus, training involves changing skills, knowledge, attitudes, or behavior • Present-oriented training that focuses on individuals’ current jobs

26. The ADDIE Five-Steps Training Process • Analyze the training need • Design the overall training program • Develop the course • Implementing training • Evaluate the training effectiveness

27. Determining Training Needs

28. Training Methods

29. Training Methods (cont.)

30. Making the Learning Meaningful • At the start of training, provide a bird’s eye view of the material that you are going to present. E.g. show why it’s important and provide on overview • Use a variety of familiar examples • Organize the information so you can present it logically and in meaningful units

31. Making the Learning Meaningful • Use terms and concepts that are already familiar to trainees • Use as many visual aids as possible • Again, create a perceived training need in trainee’s minds. E.g. before the training, managers need to sit down and talk with trainee about why they are enrolled in the class, what they are expected to learn, and how they can use it on the job

32. Making Skill Transfer Obvious and Easy • Maximize the similarity between the training and the work situation • Provide adequate practice • Identify each feature of the machine and step in the process • Direct the trainee’s attention to important aspect of the job.

33. Making Skill Transfer Obvious and Easy (cont.) • Provide “heads-up” information. E.g. supervisor often face stressful conditions. You can reduce the negative impact of such events by letting supervisory trainees know they might occur • Trainees learn best at their own pace. If possible, let them pace themselves

34. Employee Development • Future-oriented training that focuses on employee personal growth • It focuses on individuals’ current jobs, enhancing those specific skills and abilities needed to immediately perform their jobs

35. Employee Development Method • Job Rotation • Assistant to Positions • Committee Assignment • Lecture Courses and Seminar • Simulation • Adventure Training

36. Organization Development (OD) • The part of HRM that addresses system-wide change in the organization • OD has taken on a renewed importance today. • Change Agent • Individual responsible for fostering the change effort and assisting employees in adapting to changes

37. Organization Development (OD) (cont.) • Change usually affects four areas of an organization: • Its systems • Its technology • Its processes • Its people

38. Depth and Approach of Intended Change

39. The Metaphors of the Change Process • The Calm Water Metaphor (Lewin’s Change Process) • The organization operates in a stable environment. When change is necessary, theorder of things is unfrozen, changed, and refrozen in a way that will restore order

40. The Metaphors of the Change Process (cont.) The Lewin’s Change Process (cont.)

41. The Metaphors of the Change Process (cont.) The Lewin’s Change Process (cont.)

42. The Metaphors of the Change Process • The White Water Rapid Metaphor • This metaphor takes into consideration thefact that environments are both uncertain and dynamic • Just as white-water rafters deal withcontinuously changing water currents,organizational members facing rapid anduncertain change must adjust quickly and react properly to unexpected events

43. OD Methods OD Techniques The Underlying Values from OD Respect for People Trust and Support Power Equalization Confrontation Participation • Sensitivity Training • Survey Feedback • Process Consultation • Team-Building • Inter-Group Development • Appreciative Inquiry

44. Example of OD Interventions

45. A Learning Organization • Describes a significant organizational mindsetor philosophy • A learning organization has the capacity to continuously adapt and change because all members take an active role in identifying and resolving work-related issues • Employees are free to work together and collaborate in doing the organization’s work the best way they can and to learn from each other

46. A Learning Organization (cont.) • The learning organization environment is conducive to open communication and extensive information sharing • Empowered employees and teams have little need for “bosses” to direct and control them • Leaders should support and encourage the collaborative environment critical to learning

47. A Learning Organization (cont.) • Single-Loop Learning: • When they detect errors, their correction process relies on past routines and present policies • Double-Loop Learning: • They correct errors by modifying objectives, policies, and standard routines • It provides opportunities for radically different solutions to problems and dramatic jumps in improvement

48. Training Evaluation • Kirkpatrick’s Model • Level one measures the reactions of the participants toward the training and answersquestions about whether the participants liked the training; felt they achieved theirlearning goals; how much they liked the trainers; and any suggestions they have forimproving the training

49. Training Evaluation • Kirkpatrick’s Model (cont.) • Level two measures how much the participants learned • Level three measures whether the training actually changes the employee’s behaviorwhen he or she returns to the job • Level four measures whether the training benefited the employer or not. By determining ROI or evaluating a behavior against another standard, such as a benchmark

50. Performance-Based Evaluation Measures • Post-Training Performance Method • Evaluating training programs based on how well employees can perform their jobs after training • Pre–Post-Training Performance Method • Evaluating training programs based on the difference in performance before and after training