“Welcome to the Best Workplace in the World!” - A qualitative study on new employees’ introductions and socialization processes
(2024) SOCM05 20241Sociology
- Abstract
- Introducing a new employee into an organization is a critical time for the individual and the organization in question. Successful introductions can create high job satisfaction, increased performance, organizational commitment, and social integration – also called organizational socialization. There are many benefits of a successful socialization process; therefore, understanding what new employees value in their introductions is essential. This is where the present study has taken its starting point – discussing what constitutes a good introduction based on experiences from new employees and managers. This thesis has been conducted in collaboration with a Swedish organization operating in maintenance within energy and electrical... (More)
- Introducing a new employee into an organization is a critical time for the individual and the organization in question. Successful introductions can create high job satisfaction, increased performance, organizational commitment, and social integration – also called organizational socialization. There are many benefits of a successful socialization process; therefore, understanding what new employees value in their introductions is essential. This is where the present study has taken its starting point – discussing what constitutes a good introduction based on experiences from new employees and managers. This thesis has been conducted in collaboration with a Swedish organization operating in maintenance within energy and electrical resources. The case study results are based on 14 qualitative interviews and a three-day observation. Furthermore, the material has been analyzed using three theoretical dimensions conceptualized from the data: formal versus informal socialization, socialization in the big versus small group, and socialization within and between genders. The conclusions imply that new employees speak more highly of informal socialization tactics than formal ones, and referred to mentors when discussing where they gain the most knowledge. Regarding social identity, new employees expressed that they tend to feel a higher connection and pride toward their immediate workgroups than toward the organization. Women either assimilate to or resist male-dominant gender performances in their groups. All in all, the experiences of this study’s participants produce a multifaceted picture of one organization. (Less)
- Popular Abstract
- The world we live in is constantly changing, as are the situations in which organizations and companies work. A problem they have to manage is attracting skilled employees and introducing them to the organization and work tasks well. Otherwise, employees might not know what to do and might want to leave. There are many different ways organizations can introduce new employees. Experts who study this subject give various examples of how and what organizations should do to offer successful introductions. This study aims to investigate how new employees describe what they think is a good introduction. This has been done with a Swedish organization working within energy and electricity. In this study, they are named Servano.
Servano has about... (More) - The world we live in is constantly changing, as are the situations in which organizations and companies work. A problem they have to manage is attracting skilled employees and introducing them to the organization and work tasks well. Otherwise, employees might not know what to do and might want to leave. There are many different ways organizations can introduce new employees. Experts who study this subject give various examples of how and what organizations should do to offer successful introductions. This study aims to investigate how new employees describe what they think is a good introduction. This has been done with a Swedish organization working within energy and electricity. In this study, they are named Servano.
Servano has about 2 300 employees who work in 100 different locations around Sweden. The organization is split into three distinct business units, and new employees are given different introductions. In two of the business units, new employees are invited to the head office for three introductory days when they start. During these days they learn about the structure, procedures, rules, and culture of the organization. The other business unit has more relaxed introductions, letting managers decide what new employees need to learn.
The data of this study comes from an observation of introduction days and 14 interviews with new employees and managers at Servano. The results show that managers appreciate the introduction days more than new employees do. New employees prefer more relaxed introduction tactics such as mentorship. A mentor can help new employees understand their work tasks and give social support to connect with other co-workers. In general, new employees feel more connected to their co-workers than to Servano. Seeing that most of Servano’s employees are men, a discussion about women in male-dominant groups has also emerged. The results show that women find it easier to fit in when other women are in the group or if they are similar in age to their workgroup. Age turned out to be a common pattern in many responses, but it was not one of the central aspects of this study. Therefore, suggestions are given for future research to focus on this approach of introductions. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9169644
- author
- Stoppelenburg, Julia LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SOCM05 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- language
- English
- id
- 9169644
- date added to LUP
- 2024-07-01 12:46:14
- date last changed
- 2024-07-01 12:46:14
@misc{9169644,
abstract = {{Introducing a new employee into an organization is a critical time for the individual and the organization in question. Successful introductions can create high job satisfaction, increased performance, organizational commitment, and social integration – also called organizational socialization. There are many benefits of a successful socialization process; therefore, understanding what new employees value in their introductions is essential. This is where the present study has taken its starting point – discussing what constitutes a good introduction based on experiences from new employees and managers. This thesis has been conducted in collaboration with a Swedish organization operating in maintenance within energy and electrical resources. The case study results are based on 14 qualitative interviews and a three-day observation. Furthermore, the material has been analyzed using three theoretical dimensions conceptualized from the data: formal versus informal socialization, socialization in the big versus small group, and socialization within and between genders. The conclusions imply that new employees speak more highly of informal socialization tactics than formal ones, and referred to mentors when discussing where they gain the most knowledge. Regarding social identity, new employees expressed that they tend to feel a higher connection and pride toward their immediate workgroups than toward the organization. Women either assimilate to or resist male-dominant gender performances in their groups. All in all, the experiences of this study’s participants produce a multifaceted picture of one organization.}},
author = {{Stoppelenburg, Julia}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{“Welcome to the Best Workplace in the World!” - A qualitative study on new employees’ introductions and socialization processes}},
year = {{2024}},
}