2012 NASPA Annual Conference  Phoenix, Arizona  March 10–14, 2012 Socializing New Professionals: Leading the Way to a Smooth Entry Tuesday, March 13, 10:15 am Kara Lombardi

Interest in Topic 12 + years in Career Services Experience with graduating seniors as they engage in the job search process Work with new student affairs professionals

Turnover in Student Affairs Turnover is well documented (Bender, 1980; Holmes, Verrier, & Chisholm, 1983; Ward, 1995) Early departure attributed to lack of fit, poor career decisions, and unrealistic expectations (Barham & Winston, 2006; Lorden, 1998; Winston & Creamer, 1997)

Organizational Socialization “the social knowledge and skills necessary to assume an organizational role” (Van Maanen & Schein, 1979, p. 211). “Socialization is the process by which new members of an organization come to understand, appreciate, and adopt the customs, traditions, values, and goals of their profession and their new organization” (Tull, Hirt, & Saunders, 2009, p. x).

Importance of Socialization Increases job satisfaction and commitment Reduces uncertainty, which decreases turnover Increases identification with organization (Allen, 2006; Bauer, Bodner, Erdongan, Truxillo, & Tucker, 2007; Boehman, 2007; Feldman, 1976a, 1976b; Jones, 1986; Klein, Fan, & Preacher, 2006; Myers & Oetzel, 2003; Saks & Ashforth, 1997; Waldeck & Myers, 2007; Wanous, 1980)

Stage Models of Socialization Stage models provide a framework to examine socialization Jablin (1987, 2001) provides a four stage model: – Anticipatory socialization – Encounter – Metamorphosis – Exit

Socialization Stages from the Student Affairs Perspective Pre-hire, pre-arrival, the first six months and ongoing after entry (Mather, Bryan, & Faulkner, 2009) Pre-employment and orientation, transition, and settling in (Renn & Hodges, 2007) Anticipatory, formal, informal and personal(Collins, 2009)

Stage Model Stage models provide a useful framework, but: – Difficult to determine when one stops and the next begins – Difficult to test without longitudinal studies – Do not account for individuality – Do not recognize that as one is joining, they are also exiting some other organization

Anticipatory Socialization Vocational Organizational – Graduate school – Recruitment/selection – Pre-entry communication

Importance of Anticipatory Socialization Expectations begin to form Uncertainty upon entering a new organization Can help with the transition into a new organization Much done on orientation, little done on pre- hire experiences

Graduate School Graduate school is anticipatory socialization (Mendoza, 2008; Renn & Hodges, 2007) Experiential learning helps to shape expectations Graduate school experiences influence career decisions (Quinn & Litzler, 2009) How do new professionals reflect on their graduate school experience?

The Recruiting Process Pre-entry knowledge is a predictor of adjustment (Wanous, 1992) Realistic pre-entry knowledge is related to role clarity, job satisfaction and organizational commitment (Klein, Fan, & Preacher, 2006) A natural tendency for both the organization and the new hire to present only the most positive aspects What role does the recruiting process play in new professionals’ decisions to join new organizations?

Relationships Relationships with supervisors and peers begins before entry Relationships are critical for overcoming unmet expectations (Major, Kozlowski, Chao, & Garnder, 1995) Supervisory relationship influence self-image, job satisfaction and professional development (Tull, 2009) What relationships are being formed during the pre-entry stage? How?

Proactive Behaviors Newcomers seek information to reduce uncertainty (Miller & Jablin, 1991) Those who are proactive experience a more positive adjustment (Kammeyer-Mueller & Wanberg, 2003) What proactive behaviors do new professionals engage in during the pre-entry stage?

My Study To understand how new student affairs professionals experience anticipatory socialization – Before the job search begins – During the interview phase – Period between job offer and start date

Methodology Qualitative Graduate students currently on the job market Three phases of data collection – Before job search – During interview process – After job offer, before entry

Preliminary Observations Concerns with settling Various levels of proactivity Struggles between confidence and insecurity Exploring the role of past experience on the process Considering the role of significant others on the process

Small Group Discussion Think about strategies used and/or experienced during the recruitment or pre- entry stage What impression did they leave? Or what impression were you hoping to achieve?

Discussion Questions? Thank you Kara Lombardi

References Allen, D. G. (2006). Do organizational socialization tactics influence newcomer embeddedness and turnover? Journal of Management, 32(2), Barham, J. D. & Winston, R. B. (2006). Supervision of new professionals in student affairs: Assessing and addressing needs. The College Student Affairs Journal, 26(1), Bauer, T. N., Bodner, T., Erdongan, B., Truxillo, D. M., & Tucker, J. S. (2007). Newcomer adjustment during organizational socialization: A meta-analytic review of antecedents, outcomes, and methods. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(3), Bender, B. E. (1980). Job satisfaction in student affairs. NASPA Journal, 18(2), 2-9. Boehman, J. (2007). Affective commitment among student affairs professionals. NASPA Journal, 44(2), Collins, D. (2009). The socialization process for new professionals. In A. Tull, J. B. Hirt, & S. A. Saunders (Eds.), Becoming socialized in student affairs administration, (pp ). Sterling, VA: Stylus. Feldman, D. C. (1976a). A contingency theory of socialization. Administrative Science Quarterly, 21, Feldman, D. C. (1976b). A practical program for employee socialization. Organizational Dynamics, 57(2), Holmes, D. R. (1982). Exploring career patterns in student affairs: Problems of conception and methodology. NASPA Journal, 20,

References Jablin, F. M. (1987). Organizational entry, assimilation, and exit. In F. M. Jablin, L. L. Putnam, K. H. Roberts, & L. W. Porter (Eds.). Handbook of organizational communication (pp ). Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Jablin, F. M. (2001). Organizational entry, assimilation, and disengagement/exit. In F. M. Jablin & L. L. Putnam (Eds.), The new handbook of organizational communication (pp ). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Jones, G. R. (1986). Socialization tactics, self-efficacy, and newcomers’ adjustments to organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 29(2), 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(5), Klein, H. J., Fan, J, & Preacher, K. J. (2005). The effects of early socialization experiences on content mastery and outcomes: A meditational approach. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 68, doi: /j.jvb Lorden, L. P. (1998). Attrition in the student affairs profession. NASPA Journal, 35(3), Major, D. A., Kozlowski, S. W. J., Chao, G. T., & Gardner, P. D. (1995). A longitudinal investigation of newcomer expectations, early socialization outcomes, and the new moderating effects of role development factors. Journal of Applied Psychology, 80(3), Mather, P. C., Bryan, S. P., & Faulkner, W. O. (2009). Orienting mid-level student affairs professionals. The College Student Affairs Journal, 27(2), Mendoza, P. (2008). Socialization to the academic culture: A framework of inquiry. Revista de Estudios Sociales, 31, Miller, V. D., & Jablin, F. M. (1991). Information seeking during organizational entry: Influences, tactics, and a model of the process. Academy of Management Review, 16(1),

References Myers, K. K., & Oetzel, J. G. (2003). Exploring the dimensions of organizational assimilation: Creating and validating a measure. Communication Quarterly, 41, Quinn, K. & Litzler, E. (2009). Turning away from academic careers: What does work-family have to do with it? NASPA Journal About Women in Higher Education, 2(1), Renn, K. A., & Hodges, J. P. (2007). The first year on the job: Experience of new professionals in student affairs. NASPA Journal, 44(2), Saks, A. M. & Ashforth, B. E. (1997). Socialization tactics and newcomer information acquisition. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 5, Tull, A. (2009). Supervision and mentorship in the socialization process. In A. Tull, J. B. Hirt, & S. A. Saunders (Eds.), Becoming socialized in student affairs administration, (pp ). Sterling, VA: Stylus. Tull, A., Hirt, J. B., & Saunders, S. A. (2009). Becoming socialized in student affairs administration: A guide for new professionals and their supervisors. Sterling, VA: Stylus. Van Maanen, J & Schein, E. H. (1979). Toward a theory of organizational socialization. In B. M. Staw (ed). Research in organizational behavior, Vol 1 (pp ). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. Waldeck, J. H. & Myers, K. K. (2007). Organizational assimilation theory, research, and implications for multiple areas of the discipline: A state of the art review. In C. S. Beck (Ed.), Communication Yearbook 31 (pp ). New York, NY: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Wanous, J. P. (1980). Organizational entry: Recruitment, selection, and socialization of newcomers. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. Wanous, J. P. (1992). Organizational entry: Recruiting, selection, orientation and socializing newcomers. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co Ward, L. (1995). Role stress and propensity to leave among new student affairs professionals. NASPA Journal, 33(1), Winston, R. B., Jr., & Creamer, D. G. (1997). Improving staffing practices in student affairs. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.