Welcome aboard: An examination of how new employees experience cultural socialization

This study examines how new employees learn the culture of an organization. By following six new hires as they go through the first six weeks of their employment at W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., we get a glimpse into the employee experience.;Every organization's culture is unique and plays a significant role in defining how things are done, both formally and informally. It influences everything from language to dress code to decision making to expectations. When a new employee joins an organization, they must go through a socialization process to lean the culture and figure out what is needed to be successful. Thus, the more quickly a newcomer can be socialized, the sooner they can become an effective and productive member of the organization.;Most studies have looked at the socialization process from the perspective of the organization and what they do to teach their culture to new employees. While this is helpful, it is not complete since it focuses mostly on the formal aspects of socialization. When new hires join an organization, they ultimately learn the culture by experiencing it through informal interactions with the existing members, such as supervisors, coworkers, and mentors. This informal aspect can best be viewed through the employee perspective as they experience it.;By understanding the newcomer experience, we can better understand how they learn the culture and better shape that experience where possible. As a result, new employees can become socialized more quickly and more thoroughly which can result in higher retention, a faster return on investment, and an overall more effective employee.