Fundamentals of Human Resource Management: Socialization & Development

This assignment explores the critical aspects of employee socialization, orientation, and development within the context of Human Resource Management. It begins by defining socialization as the process of adapting to a new work role, highlighting the 'insider-outsider passage' and the assumptions underlying employee socialization. The assignment then delves into the socialization process, outlining the prearrival, encounter, and metamorphosis stages, and examines the purpose and components of new-employee orientation, including the role of the employee handbook and top management involvement. It further differentiates between employee training (focused on current job performance) and employee development (focused on future career growth), detailing various training methods such as on-the-job and off-the-job approaches, as well as employee development methods like job rotation and committee assignments. The assignment also addresses the costs associated with training and development and introduces organizational development (OD) efforts, including change agents and techniques like survey feedback and team building. It concludes by discussing methods for evaluating the effectiveness of training and development programs, including Kirkpatrick's model and performance-based evaluation measures, and touches upon the unique considerations for international training and development.

Fundamentals of
Human Resource Management 11e
Chapter 8
Socializing, Orienting, and Developing Employees

▪ Ideally, employees who understand what working is
about in the organization will become fully
productive.
▪ HR helps employees become well-adjusted and
productive through socialization, training, and
development programs.
Introduction
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management
11e
In other words, they’re hired – now what?

▪ Socialization, or “onboarding” is a process of
adaptation to a new work role
▪ Adjustments must be made whenever individuals
change jobs
▪ The most profound adjustment occurs when an
individual first enters an organization
The Insider-Outsider Passage
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management
11e

The Insider-Outsider Passage
The Assumptions of Employee Socialization
socialization strongly
influences
employee performance
and organizational stability
socialization needs to be
consistent with culture
new members
suffer anxiety
individuals adjust to new
situations in similar ways
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Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 11e

The Socialization Process
▪ Prearrival
• Individuals arrive with a set of values, attitudes, and expectations
developed from previous experience and the selection process.
▪ Encounter
• Individuals discover how well their expectations match realities within
the organization. Where differences exist, socialization occurs to imbue
the employee with the organization’s standards.
▪ Metamorphosis
• Individuals have adapted to the organization, feel accepted, and know
what is expected of them.
The Insider-Outsider Passage
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management
11e

The Insider-Outsider Passage
The Socialization Process
Productivity
Commitment
Turnover
Outcomes
MetamorphosisEncounterPrearrival
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 11e

The Purpose of New-Employee
Orientation
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management
11e
Socialized employees know how things are done, what matters,
and which behaviors and perspectives are acceptable
Orientation
▪ May be done by supervisor, HR staff, computer-
based programs, or some combination
▪ Can be formal or informal, depending on the
organization’s size
▪ Teaches the organization’s culture, or system of
shared meaning

The Purpose of New-Employee
Orientation
http://www.google.com/corporate/culture.html
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/diversity/sharedvalues.html
http://www.southwest.com/careers/culture.html
http://walmartstores.com/AboutUs/321.aspx
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 11e

▪ HR’s permanent reference guide: the employee
handbook.
• Central source for teaching employees company
mission
• Includes history, policies, benefits, culture
• Employers must watch wording and include a
disclaimer to avoid implied contracts
Employee Handbook
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management
11e
The Small Business Administration has suggestions and guidelines
for creating an employee handbook on its website sba.gov

Top management is often visible during the new
employee orientation process.
CEOs can
• Welcome employees
• Provide a vision for the company
• Introduce company culture
• Convey that the company cares about employees
• Allay some new employee anxieties
The Purpose of New-Employee
Orientation
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management
11e

HR has a dual role in orientation
Coordinating Role
• HRM instructs new employees when and where
to report; provides information about benefits
choices
Participant Role
• HRM offers its assistance for future employee
needs (career guidance, training, etc.)
The Purpose of New-Employee
Orientation
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management
11e

Employee Training
Employee training is
now-oriented.
• Designed to achieve a
relatively permanent
change in an individual
that will improve his or
her performance
• Training goals should be
tangible, verifiable,
timely, and measurable
• Training is either on-the-
job or off-the-job
Employee development is
future-oriented.
• Helps employees to
understand cause and
effect relationships, learn
from experience,
visualize relationships,
think logically.
• Benefits all employees
plus top management
candidates
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 11e