SOCIALISATION PROCESS IN ORGANISATION

Socialization is a term used by sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists, political scientists and educationalists to refer to the lifelong process of inheriting and disseminating norms, customs and ideologies. It may provide the individual with the skills and habits necessary for participating within their own society; a society develops a culture through a plurality of shared norms, customs, values, traditions, social roles, symbols and languages. Socialization is thus ‘the means by which social and cultural continuity are attained’.

Thus, socialization is the process of indoctrinating the new employees into the organization culture. The organization takes steps to get them adapt to its existing culture . It socializes the new employees and moulds them to accept its standards and norms.

People who do not learn to adjust with the culture of organization are labeled as ‘rebels’ or nonconformists’ and may even be turned out of the organization.

When new employees enter an organization they feel out of place because of the new surroundings, new boss and new co-workers. Hence, it is the responsibility of the management to orient the employees and to make the process of socialization smooth. This will ensure that the new employees adapt to the organizational culture as soon as possible. The process of adaptation is commonly termed induction or socialization.The socialization process is not confined to employees entering new organizations. It is also important for employees moving within the organization as a result of lateral transfers and promotions. Orientation is only a small part of the overall socialization program. The process of orientation includes introduction of the new employee to the organization and to his work unit and supplementing the information given to him during recruitment and selection.

An organization's orientation program should make a new employee familiar with the organization's history, philosophy, objectives, procedures and rules. A new employee, to fit into the organization, must understand the role he has to play in

that particular job, the values of the organization that he has to uphold and the norms set by his peer group that he has to conform to. 

ASSUMPTIONS OF SOCIALISATION PROCESS

The socialization process is based on some general assumptions. They are:

The process of socialization has an influence on the performance of an employee;

An effective socialization process ensures that a new employee fits well into the organization,

Socialization helps to handle new employee anxiety and The process of socialization requires the involvement of co-workers and the

work environment

FUNCTION OF SOCIALISATION PROCESS

Socialization performs two functions

a) It creates uniform behavior in members , increases understanding , reduces conflict, etc and

b) It reduces role ambiguity of employees as they will come to know what is expected of them.

STAGES OF SOCIALISATION PROCESS

Maanen and Schein have conceptualized three stages in the process of socialization process

Pre arrival Encounter Metamorphosis or transformation

PRE- ARRIVAL –

It denotes the period of learning in the socialization process that occurs before a new worker joins the organization.. The new worker has a set of values, beliefs, attitudes and expectations . Such factors must be taken care of at the selection stage. Those types of people should be selected who might be able to fit into the organizations culture . the candidate must be made aware of the organization values and expectations during the selection process so that the chances of wrong selection are reduced to the minimum.

ENCOUNTER STAGE –

The new employee enters this stage when he joins the organization . he comes to know what the organization is really like and may find divergence between his expectations and those of the organization . if this is so, the new employee must undergo socialization that will detach him from his previous notions and assumptions about the organization and make them learn another set the organization deems desirable . this induction process is helpful in many of the cases. But if the employee is not able to change his expectations and adapt to the requirements of the organization , he might have to leave the organization.

METAMORPHOSIS OR TRANSFORMATION –

Under this stage, the real transformation in the new employee takes place. He adjusts to his work groups values and norms and becomes comfortable with the organization and his job. His internalization of organization culture wins him acceptability among his colleagues and creates confidence in him . this makes him a contented employee and he likes the place of work and enjoys the company of his colleagues. As a result, he will feel committed to the organization and his productivity will increase . his search for job elsewhere will also come to an end , if in any case , the employee is not able to adapt himself to the organization culture, the result will be low productivity, lack of commitment and even exit from the organization.

PROCESS OF SOCIALISATION

Selection of entry level personnel Placement on the job Job mastery Measuring and rewarding performance Adherence to important values Reinforcing the stories and folklore Recognition and promotion

STRATEGIES OF SOCIALISATION PROCESS-

The process of socialization affects the new employee's work productivity, commitment to the organization's objectives and his decision to stay with the organization. They are various alternatives that a manager can consider when designing effective socialization strategies. They are

Formal or Informal, Individual or Collective, Sequential or Non-sequential, Fixed or Variable, Tournament or Contest, Serial or Disjunctive, Socialization Strategies.

The human resource manager must consider the various alternatives and their influence while designing the appropriate program for the organization. Socialization is an ongoing process and should not be stopped after the initial orientation program. Given the changing business environment it is always important to equip employees with the right skills to perform effectively.

DIMENSIONS OF SOCIALISATION PROCESS-

There are six dimensions of socialization tactics used in business. These tactics are used to welcome and involve new employees. The six dimensions are all used to socialize employees, but they have different aspects that make them suitable for different situations. The six dimensions of socialization in business.

History

Every organization has history, and as a new employee is part of a company they will learn much about the history of the organization. Many new employees will learn about the history of a business during orientation, and this is an effective an appropriate time to explain customs and traditions associated with the history of an organization to new employees

Language

Language is a dimension of socialization that is inherent to every organization. Language may be overlooked but nearly every field uses a jargon that is particular to the job tasks. Language will pertain to a field of work as well as an organization itself. This is an important dimension of socialization that will affect the performance of an employee.

Politics

Another dimension of socialization in business is politics. All new employees will "gradually begin to understand the politics or unwritten rules that govern behavior within the organization" This is a means of socialization that can be addressed in the beginning of employment and it can evolve throughout.

People

People and social relationships are a large part of the dimensions of socialization in business. All new employees will "belong to some group or unit, so they must establish and maintain good working relationships with others". This is an area of socialization that organizations must focus on for a business to run smoothly.

Organizational Values and Goals

An employee is chosen to represent organizational values and goals of the business they work for. This dimension of socialization is important because the values and goals of an organization should match with the employee.

Performance Proficiency

Another dimension of socialization is performance proficiency. When a new employee is brought into a business they must learn how to perform at a proficient level. This part of socialization is complex because it requires new employees to

become skillful of their jobs and the knowledge necessary to complete the tasks assigned to them.

The six dimensions of socialization in business are important to any organization. All of these dimensions will impact how employees are socialized, and they should be considered when determining how to socialize employees.