OSM 5012 - Strategic Supply Chain Management: Onboarding Analysis

This report, submitted by a student at the University of Zambia, analyzes the critical role of onboarding in strategic supply chain management. It explores how effective onboarding, encompassing compliance, clarification, culture, and connection, can significantly enhance employee integration and performance. The report details the importance of both formal and informal onboarding processes, highlighting the use of training programs, such as those used by a multinational mining corporation, to equip new hires with the necessary skills and knowledge. It emphasizes the significance of HR functions working cohesively to support new employees, including meeting with managers, understanding company regulations, and completing training checklists. The conclusion underscores that successful onboarding leads to faster learning, increased communication, and a more productive team. The author also references the four levels of onboarding and the impact of onboarding on the success of new recruits.

Running Head: Onboarding of employees and organizational success.
Ange-Marie Mukundwa
OSM 5012– Strategic Supply Chain Management
Module 3 Assignment
The University of Zambia
14/08/2022
Dr. Rob Shah

Running Head: Onboarding of employees and organizational success 2
Introduction
Through the smart use of onboarding, after successful recruiting and selection, firms
may significantly increase the effectiveness of their personnel management systems.
Onboarding is the practice of assisting new hires in rapidly and easily adjusting to the social
and performance demands of their new positions, (Kammeyer-Mueller & Wanberg, 2003).
The assignment will outline the importance of onboarding, how it fits into the greater
framework of human resource, and the training strategies used to properly integrate new
recruits into the business.
Onboarding processes and training requirements
Each organization has its own elaborate method for teaching new hires the attitudes,
information, abilities, and behaviours necessary for productive operation. New personnel will
be able to successfully contribute to the company's mission more quickly the sooner they feel
welcomed and prepared for their positions. One of the first things human resource managers
should think about is whether informal or formal onboarding is better for their company.
When an employee is onboarded informally, it means that there isn't a clear organizational
strategy in place. On the other hand, formal onboarding refers to a coordinated set of written
norms and procedures that help an employee settle into a new position in terms of both tasks
and socialization, (Bradt & Vonnegut, 2009). My employer, a multinational mining
corporation, requires all newly hired employees to complete a thorough onboarding process.
By building stronger bonds with new hires to boost satisfaction, outlining expectations and
goals to boost performance, and offering support to lessen turnover, onboarding aids in the
transition of new employees into their positions. When a new employee joins the team, they
must comprehend their position within the organization as a whole, learn the expectations,
and become familiar with the workspace that will now play a significant role in their career

Running Head: Onboarding of employees and organizational success 3
( Martin & Lombardi, 2009). The four levels of onboarding are: compliance, clarification,
culture, and connection. The lowest level, compliance, entails educating staff members on
fundamental legal and policy-related norms and regulations. In my organization, new recruits
must go through both general plant as well as plant-specific induction, such as red ticket,
process plant, confined space and working at height inductions. Making sure that employees
comprehend their new roles and the associated obligations is what is referred to as
clarification. Culture encompasses giving employees a sense of the official and informal
corporate rules and lastly, connection refers to the crucial interpersonal connections and
information networks that new employees must create in the organization.
Each organization's total onboarding strategy is determined by how much it uses these
four building strategies, with the majority of businesses falling into one of three levels.
Nearly all firms automatically address compliance as part of formal onboarding, which is
level one, (passive onboarding). For businesses that use passive onboarding, roles may be
clarified in some cases, and onboarding is seen as a checklist of unrelated tasks that need to
be finished. High potential onboarding at level two is attained when a company's formal
onboarding procedures adequately address compliance and clarification, and when some
culture and connection mechanisms are in place. Compliance clarification, culture, and
connection are all formally handled at Level 3, which is referred to as proactive onboarding.
If the firm is systematically organizes onboarding with a strategic human resource
management approach, the organization is at Level three. However, only a few organizations
achieve this level. Successful onboarding is the result of several Human Resource
Management functions working together in a coordinated fashion. Although here each
function is discussed separately, the key to successful onboarding is for Human Resource
Management functions to work together seamlessly to support new employees, (Morrison,

Running Head: Onboarding of employees and organizational success 4
2002). A new employee needs the confidence, knowledge, and abilities to carry out the duties
assigned to them. Hard skills, soft skills, and onboarding skills are all possible training areas
for new hires, and each skill set is crucial. Training is even more important if a new employee
has low self-efficacy levels, in order to improve performance and future ability to cope.
Training helps newcomers to understand how to actively assist in their own adjustment,
which will promote successful onboarding. In my organization for instance, new recruits have
the opportunity to meet with managers and supervisors in person to go over the employee
handbook, the code of safe practices, and the injury, illness, safety and prevention program.
This procedure guarantees that the new team member is fully aware of the rules, regulations,
expectations, and obligations of the organization. Managers and supervisors adhere to a
training checklist to make sure that every new hire completes all of the training requirements.
Until that checklist is accomplished, training is not complete. Such a method guarantees that
the worker and the manager are on the same page throughout the process and that
expectations are understood by both parties, (ibid).
In conclusion, a fundamental component of any talent management plan is effective
onboarding. Business leaders must recognize that successfully integrating new personnel into
the firm is a crucial step to ensuring their success given the high expense of recruiting.
Onboarding success and sustainability over time, depend on knowing who owns the process
overall and who controls specific elements in the process. Engaging significant stakeholders
and new employees in discussions that advance their understanding of one another and their
future interactions is of key importance. Effective onboarding will lead to a quicker learning
curve for new workers, increased communication, and a more productive and engaged team,
when used in conjunction with Human Resource Management best practices.

Running Head: Onboarding of employees and organizational success 5
References
Bradt, G., & Vonnegut, M. (2009). Onboarding: How to Get your New Employees up to
Speed in half the Time. NY: John Wiley.
Kammeyer-Mueller, J. D., & Wanberg, C. R. (2003). Unwrapping the Organizational Entry
Process: Disentangling Multiple Antecedents and their Pathways to Adjustment.
Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(1).
Martin, K., & Lombardi, M. (2009). Fully On-Board: Getting the Most from Your Talent in
the First Year. Boston, MA: Aberdeen Group.
Morrison, E.M. (2002). Newcomers’ Relationships: The Role of Social Network Ties during
Socialization. Academy of Management Journal, 45(1).