Content area
Full Text
Introduction
Research in organizational socialization is currently in a young and developing stage. Classic sources from [34] Schein (1968) provided the initial framework for the development of organizational socialization. In general, organizational socialization is concerned with the learning content and process by which an individual adjusts to a special role in an organization. Research on organizational socialization helps to understand the stages through which a newcomer passes as he or she adapts to new jobs and organizational roles and hence participates as an organizational member. At a practical level, organizational socialization can aid managerial interventions to train new employees and instill organizational culture and values.
Approaches to studying organizational socialization involve organizational, individual and interactionist perspectives ([16] Gruman et al. , 2006). From an integrated perspective, organizational socialization is a continuous process in which individual and organization interact and influence with each other. On the one hand, it is a learning progress through which individuals learn organizational unspoken values, norms, informal networks and required skills. On the other hand, it is also a managerial process whereby organziation can conform employees to follow and obey organizational values, rules and in turn perform expected behaviors. As a consequence, socialization outcomes are influenced by the interaction between organizational socialization tactics and employees' self-initiated or proactive behaviors (e.g. information seeking and acquisition) ([2] Allen and Meyer, 1990; [5] Ashforth and Saks, 1996; [19] Jones, 1986; [27] Miller and Jablin, 1991; [32] Saks and Ashforth, 1997; [21] Kim et al. , 2005). Literatures toward elaborating the content dimensions of the organizational socialization seems of diversity but essentially no significant difference. [34] Schein (1968) proposed socialization involved several basic elements related to organization (e.g. goals and identity) and individual role (e.g. responsibilities and behavior patterns). Following scholars focusing on socialization content mostly expanded and developed on the two dimensions ([15] Fisher, 1986; [9] Chao et al. , 1994; [37] Taormina and Bauer, 2000).
Organizational socialization have impacts on both organization and individual. [32] Saks and Ashforth (1997) developed an integrated multi-level process model of organizational socialization, which indicated that organizational socialization influence a wide variety of outcomes at the organization, group, and individual levels. At the individual level, researchers have proposed and empirically tested a set of main-effect models, such as...