Chapter 8, Social Influence, Socialization, and Organizational Structure Flashcards
Information Dependence
Reliance on others for
information about how to
think, feel, and act.
Social information processing theory
Information from others is
used to interpret events and
develop expectations about
appropriate and acceptable
attitudes and behaviours.
Effect Dependence
Reliance on others due to
their capacity to provide
rewards and punishment.
One of the most obvious consequences of information and effect dependence is the tendency for group members to…
to conform to the social norms that have been established by the group.
Compliance
Conformity
to a social norm prompted
by the desire to acquire
rewards or avoid
punishment.
Identification
Conformity
to a social norm prompted
by perceptions that those
who promote the norm
are attractive or similar to
oneself.
Internalization.
Conformity
to a social norm prompted
by true acceptance of the
beliefs, values, and attitudes
that underlie the norm
Socialization
The
process by which people
learn the attitudes,
knowledge, and behaviours
that are necessary for a
person to function in a
group or organization.
Uncertainty reduction theory
Newcomers are
motivated to reduce their
uncertainty so that the
work environment becomes
more predictable and
understandable.
Person-job fit
The
match between an
employee’s knowledge,
skills, and abilities and the
requirements of a job.
Proximal socialization outcomes
immediate outcomes that occur directly after implementing socialization methods
Distal socialization outcomes
These are long-term outcomes that result from achieving proximal outcomes.
Three steps of fit for socialization (newcomers)
First, acquire knowledge and skills necessary to perform work tasks
Second, Learn the values and beliefs that are important to the organization to develop strong-person organization
Thirdly, learn the values and beliefs that are important to their work group so they can develop a strong person-group
Person-organization fit
The match between an
employee’s personal
values and the values of an
organization.
Person-group fit
The
match between an
employee’s values and the
values of the employee’s
work group.
Organizational identification
The extent
to which individuals define
themselves in terms of the
organization and what it is
perceived to represent.
In summary, organizational socialization is importat because…
it has a direct effect on
proximal socialization outcomes (e.g., learning, PJ fit, PO fit, and PG fit), which lead to distal
outcomes (e.g., organizational identification).
Stages of Socialization
1) Anticipatory Socialization
2) Encounter
3) Role Management
Anticipatory Socialization
Some organizations begin to socialize job candidates even before they are
hired, at recruitment events, where organizational representatives discuss the organization
with potential hires.
Encounter
In the encounter stage, the new recruit, armed with some expectations
about organizational life, encounters the day-to-day reality of this life. Formal aspects of this
stage might include orientation programs and rotation through various parts of the organization.
Informal aspects include getting to know and understand the style and personality
of one’s boss and co-workers.
Role Management
Having survived the encounter stage and acquired basic role
behaviours, the new member’s attention shifts to fine-tuning and actively managing their
new role in the organization. Following some conformity to group norms, the new recruit
might now be in a position to modify the role to better serve the organization.
Reality shock
When the
reality of a new job and
organization is inconsistent
with and does not meet
one’s expectations.
Why do new members often have unrealistic expectations about the organization they join?
Occupational steorotypes
Psychological contract
Beliefs held by employees
regarding the reciprocal
obligations and promises
between them and their
organization.
Psycholoical contract breach often occurs, what is it?
Employee
perceptions that their
organization has failed to
fulfill one or more of its
promises or obligations in
the psychological contract.
Why does psychological contract breach occurs?
1) recruiters tempted to promise more than their organization can provide to
attract the best job applicants.
2) Downsizing and restructuring
Socialization resources theory
Providing
newcomers with
resources throughout the
organizational socialization
process to facilitate
their adjustment and a
successful socialization.
Organizational Socialization - Realistic Job Previews
The provision of a
balanced, realistic picture
of the positive and
negative aspects of a job to
applicants.
How do organizations design and conduct realistic job previews?
they obtain
the views of experienced employees and human resources staff about the positive and negative
aspects of the job.
Evidence shows that realistic job previews are effective in…
reducing
inflated expectations and turnover and in improving job performance
Employee Orientation Programs
Programs
designed to introduce new
employees to their job, the
people they will be working
with, and the organization.
Realistic Orientation Program for Entry Stress (ROPES)
An orientation
program that is designed to
teach newcomers coping
techniques to manage
workplace stressors.
Why is orientation programs an important method of socialization?
Orientation programs are an important method of socialization
because they can have an immediate effect on learning and a lasting effect on the
job attitudes and behaviours of new hires. –> Higher organizational commitment
Socialization Tactics
The
manner in which
organizations structure the
early work experiences of
newcomers and individuals
who are in transition from
one role to another.
Six types of socialization tactics
1) Collective versus individual
2) Formal versus Informal
3) Sequential versus Random
4) Fixed versus Variable
5) Serial versus Disjunctive
6) Investiture versus Divestiture
Collective versus Individual Tactics
The collective tactic consists of a number of new members
being socialized as a group, going through the same experiences and facing the same
challenges.
the individual tactic consists of socialization
experiences that are tailor-made for each new member.
Formal versus Informal Tactics
Formal tactics involve segregating newcomers from regular
organizational members and providing them with formal learning experiences during the
period of socialization.
Informal tactics do not distinguish a newcomer from more experienced
members
Sequential versus Random Tactics
The sequential tactic involves a fixed sequence of steps or
stages leading to the assumption of the role
random tactic, there is an ambiguous
or changing sequence
Fixed versus Variable Tactics
The fixed tactic consists of a timetable for the newcomer’s
assumption of the role.
If the tactic is variable, then there is no time frame to indicate when the
socialization process ends and the newcomer assumes their new role.
Serial versus Disjunctive Tactics
The serial tactic refers to a process in which newcomers are
socialized by experienced members of the organization.
The disjunctive tactic refers to a socialization
process where role models and experienced organization members do not groom new
members or “show them the ropes.”
Investiture versus Divestiture Tactics
Divestiture tactics (also known as debasement) involve
putting new members through a series of experiences that are designed to humble them and
strip away some of their initial self-confidence and change their attitudes and beliefs.
The investiture socialization tactic affirms the incoming
identity and attributes of new hires rather than denying them and stripping them away.
Organizations
that carefully select new members for certain attributes and characteristics would
be more likely to use the investiture tactic.
Institutionalinzed socialization consists of…
collective, formal, sequential, fixed, serial,
and investiture tactics.
Individual Socialization consists of…
individual, informal, random,
variable, disjunctive, and divestiture tactics.
Institutionalized socialization tactics are effective in…
promoting organizational loyalty and
uniformity of behaviour among those being socialized.
Individualized socialization are effective so that…
new members are more likely to take on the particular
characteristics and style of those who are socializing them.
Which tactics are positively related to proximal and distal socialization?
Institutionalized socialization
Among all the different socialization tactics, which have been gound to be the most strongly related to socialization outcomes?
serial–disjunctive
and
investiture–
divestiture
Mentoring
An experienced or
more senior person in the
organization who provides a
junior person with guidance
and special attention,
such as giving advice and
creating opportunities
for assistance, especially
during the early stages of
the junior person’s career.
Career functions of mentoring
1) Sponsorship
2) Exposure and Visibility
3) Coaching and Feedback
4) Developmental Assignments
Psychosocial functions of mentoring
1) Role modelling
2) Providing acceptance and confirmation
3) Counselling
Formal Mentoring Programs
Organizationsponsored
programs in
which seasoned employees
are recruited as mentors
and matched with protégés.
Developmental Networks
Groups of people who
take an active interest in a
protégé’s career and take
actions toward advancing it
by providing developmental
assistance.
while male and female protégés report receiving equal amounts of
career development mentoring, female protégés reported receiving more…
psychosocial
support
research evidence suggests that mentoring is even more critical to
women than men
Cross-race mentoring relationships seem to focus on…
instrumental or career functions of
mentoring and provide fewer psychosocial support
functions
Proactive socialization
The process in which
newcomers play an
active role in their own
socialization through
the use of a number of
proactive socialization
behaviours. the most important ones are feedback and information seeking
Feedback seeking
Requesting information
about how one is
performing one’s tasks
and role.
Information Seeking
Requesting information
about one’s job, role, group,
and organization.
General socializing
Participating in social office events and attending social gatherings (e.g.,
parties, outings, clubs, and lunches).
Relationship building
Initiating social interactions and building relationships with others in
one’s area or department.
Positive Framing
Perceiving or framing the new work situation in a positive manner such
as by looking at the positive side of things and viewing situations as opportunities rather than
threats.
Boss-relationship building
Initiating social interactions to get to know and form a
relationship
with one’s boss.
Networking
Socializing with and getting to know members of the organization from various
departments and functions
Job change negotiation
Attempts to change one’s job duties or the manner and means by
which one performs one’s job in order to increase the fit between oneself and the job.
Newcomers who are more proactive obtain more..
feedback and
information and develop more friendships and relationships, all of which lowers their uncertainty
and results in more positive proximal and distal socialization outcomes
Newcomers are morelikely to be proactive when the socialization tactics used are…
institutionalized rather than individualized
Organizational Culture
The shared beliefs, values,
and assumptions that exist
in an organization.
Four characteristics of why culture are important…
1) Culture represents a true “way of life” for organizational members, who often take
its inf luence for granted.
2) Because culture involves basic assumptions, values, and beliefs, it tends to be fairly
stable over time.
3) The content of a culture can involve matters that are internal to the organization
or external.
4) Culture can have a strong impact on both organizational performance and member
satisfaction.
Strong Culture
An
organizational culture with
intense and pervasive
beliefs, values, and
assumptions.
Three points about strong cultures
1) Organization does not need to be big to have strong cultures
2) Strong cultures do not necessarily result in blind conformity
3) Strong cultures are associated with greater success and effectiveness
3 Assets (Strength) of a strong culture
1) Coordination
2) Conflict Resolution
3) Financial Success
3 Liabilities of Strong Cultures
1) Resistance to Change
2) Culture Clash (M&A)
3) Pathology
2 Contributors to Culture
1) The founder
Strong cultures reflect the values of the organization’s founder
The values are often kept alive through a series of stories about the founder passed on to successive generations
of new employees. This provides continuing reinforcement of the firm’s core values.
2) Socialization (Step by step)
- Selecting Employees (Select those who will be able to adapt to the existing culture)
- Debasement (Provoke humility in new hires)
- Training “in the trenches” (Start from the basics)
- Reward and promotion
- Exposure to core culture
- Organizational Folklore
- Role models
3 ways to diagnose a culture
1) Symbols
2) Rituals
3) Stories
