IJMB Journal – Abstracts
International Journal of Management and Business
IJMB Volume VIII, Issue 2
Restructuring New Hire Orientation to Improve Organization and Personal Outcomes
Anthony A. Matthews, Mark A. Grimes2, Robert Bennett III3
2Assistant Professor of Management; 3Professor of Management
School of Business Administration, Georgia Southwestern State University, Americus, GA
E-mail: Anthony Matthews, Mark A. Grimes, Robert Bennett
ABSTRACT
Orientation is an important form of socialization and early training which should seek to effectively integrate employees into the culture, mission, objectives, people, and practices of the organization. The goal should be to properly “on board” employees and to quickly get them engaged, motivated, inspired and productive. Unfortunately, new hire orientation is often a somewhat haphazard, unplanned “formality” viewed as being of limited real importance and meaning. Often the exercise is to simply inform a group of new hires about the new company and institutional practices. Employee frustration stems from the perceived lack of focus on what is critically needed from and by the new hire. Research on effective socialization and inspiration of new hires indicates a great need for opportunities to assess and appreciate their individual contribution, role, and fit with the job and the organization. It is critical to make new hires realize that they are appreciated individually, to provide them with knowledge for navigating and learning in the new company, and to give them opportunities to build relationships and networks with key people and resources throughout the organization. This conceptual paper looks at some of the problems that poor orientations can create, offers some solutions on how to improve orientation programs, and suggests potential benefits of implementing these changes.
Keywords: orientation, socialization, new hires, person-job fit, job roles, training, on-boarding, retention
Click for full manuscript (PDF) or back to Volume 8-2, Table of Content.