Socialization Practices in Innovative Organizations: A Case Study of LINC, Lecture notes of Innovation

Download Socialization Practices in Innovative Organizations: A Case Study of LINC and more Lecture notes Innovation in PDF only on Docsity!

\

WORKING PAPER

ALFRED P. SLOAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Socialization practices and their consequences; The case of an innovative organization Karen A. Epstein Massachusetts^ Sloan^ School (^) Institute^ of^ Management of (^) Technology December, WP#1502-83 1983

MASSACHUSETTS

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

50 MEMORIAL DRIVE

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS^02139

Socialization (^) practices and their (^) consequences: The case of an (^) innovative organization Karen (^) A. Epstein Massachusetts^ Sloan^ School of^ Management Institute of Technology December, WP#1502-83 1983

Prepared Psychological with theSciences support Division of: (^) Chief (code of Naval Research, Effectiveness (^) Research, Office of Naval452), Research,^ Organizational Arlington, VA

22217, under Contract #N0014-80-C-0905: m 170-

I Introduction

In any organization,^ new^ employees^ (newcomers)^ through^ their socialization experiences^ will^ learn^ what^ behaviors,^ attitudes,^ work styles, norms, career^ paths,^ etc.,^ that^ organization^ considers acceptable. The critical period of^ socialization^ begins^ with^ the^ initial contact between^ an^ individual^ and^ an^ organization^ (often^ a^ recruiting interview) and continues^ until^ some^ time^ after^ the^ individual^ actually enters the organization. In the^ course^ of^ the^ first^ contact,^ the organization presents to the^ potential^ employee^ an^ overview^ of^ itself^ and possibly the specifics^ of^ a^ position.^ After^ entry^ into^ the^ organization, the words and actions of those around^ the^ newcomer^ expose^ him^ or^ her^ to additional information,^ both^ implicit^ and^ explicit,^ pertaining^ both^ to the organization and to working^ in^ the^ organization.^ Thus,^ the individual picks up cues^ regarding^ appropriate^ attitudes^ and^ behaviors, the norms and values^ of^ the^ organization,^ and^ what^ people^ with^ a^ given job title actually^ do.^ These^ early^ socialization^ experiences^ expose^ the newcomer to what goes^ on^ and^ to^ what^ is^ acceptable^ within^ the organization of which he^ or^ she^ is^ becoming^ a^ member. As will be^ discussed,^ different^ socialization^ practices^ elicit different responses in^ individuals^ experiencing^ the^ socialization.^ The purpose of this study is to test, in an innovative^ organization,^ a^ theory (Van Maanen,^ 1978; Van^ Maanen^ &^ Schein,^ 1979)^ which^ relates^ socialization practices to their outcomes. The time^ frame^ or^ passage^ of^ concern^ is entry into the^ organization.^ Thus,^ all^ socialization^ practices^ will^ be measured for this passage.

The socialization agents whose views and practices will be described are individuals on the first rung of a management career (^) ladder (supervisors). The organization whose socialization practices are considered is the main engineering organization of a computer firm. (^) In this paper, the engineering organzation will be referred to as LINC.

develop expectations^ regarding^ working^ in^ the^ organization.^ In addition, behaviors, values, and attitudes of^ those in the organization may begin to be picked up and integrated by the individual. With actual entry into the organization, the breaking (^) in period begins. The newcomer^ searches^ for^ meaning in the patterns he or she observes: the^ clues^ perceived^ by^ the^ individual^ may^ be conflicting or hidden (Van Maanen, 1977). This search for meaning is the first step in interpreting and understanding the new environment (Van Maanen, (^) 1976; 1977; Feldman,^ 1976).^ Part^ of^ the^ socialization^ of^ a^ newcomer^ is^ the "unfreezing" (^) of old ways. In the course of "unfreezing," assumptions held by the newcomer may be challenged or disconfirmed by experiences in the new organization (Schein, 1968). After entry, the^ newcomer^ may^ also learn the relevant career timetables operating in the organization: with this knowledge, a sense of progress relative to organizational norms can be measured.

Socialization outcomes and innovation Schein (1964) describes three possible^ outcomes^ of^ socialization: rebellion, creative individualism, and conformity. Each reflects the degree of acceptance by the newcomer^ of^ an^ organization's^ norms^ and values. One who rebels is totally rejecting the organizations^ norms^ and values. At the other extreme is the conformist who accepts all the norms and values of the organization. In between is the^ response^ of^ creative individualism which implies an acceptance only of the^ organization's pivotal norms and (^) values —those norms and values that are absolutely necessary to the organization. Thus the response of^ creative individualism allows the newcomer to maintain some of his^ or^ her^ own values (^) and norms (^) and still function in the organization.

These three outcomes^ can^ be^ summarized^ along^ a^ continuum^ from innovative to non-innovative responses. Clearly, with an outcome of creative individualism,^ the^ individual^ is^ not^ constrained^ and^ is^ thus able to create —^ to innovate. Rebellion^ and^ conformity^ each tend^ toward non-innovative responses, because the individual is either accepting the existing means^ of^ functioning,^ or^ is^ so^ busy^ fighting^ the^ system^ through rebellion and rejection of^ its^ norms^ and values that^ creativity^ or innovation becomes an impossible response. The innovative non-innovative continuum raises some interesting issues. For instance, if, in an organization, outcomes somewhere along this continuum^ are^ desired,^ what^ can^ be^ said^ about^ how^ newcomers^ should be socialized? Van Maanen and Schein (Van Maanen, 1978; Van Maanen £e Schein, 1979: 7-8) present a theory of "interrelated theoretical propositions about the structure and^ outcome^ of^ organizational socialization processes."^ They^ present^ seven^ dimensions^ of^ socialization strategies. Each dimension reflects a pair of strategies that may be practiced in an organization. 3 At a^ given^ passage^ into^ or^ within^ an organization, each strategy elicits a response which falls somewhere along the innovative non-innovative continuum.^ The^ seven^ dimensions^ or pairs of^ strategies^ are:

2.^ 1.^ FormalIndividual/collective^ /informal

3. 4. Fixed/variableTournament /contest
4. 6. (^) Serial/disjunctiveSequential /random
5. Investiture/divestiture

on anxiety is a function^ of^ both^ the^ completeness of^ the^ information regarding the new role transmitted to the individual and the individual's ability to meet the expectations and requirements of the new^ role. With too much or too little anxiety, an individual will be less able to innovate. Thus,^ a^ non-innovative^ outcome^ to^ the^ socialization^ strategy would result. With a moderate level of anxiety, innovation is possible and the associated socialization strategy, in this situation, would lead to innovative outcomes. What is a moderate level of anxiety will differ from individual to individual. This view of anxiety, as it relates to socialization practices, can be linked to^ the^ three^ outcomes^ of^ socialization described^ by Schein (196A): rebellion, creative individualism, and conformity. The links between level of^ anxiety, Schein' s outcomes, and^ innovation are depicted below. Outcome Response (Schein) Level Anxiety (^) of

Innovative Creative individualism Moderate

Non-innovative Rebellion or conformity Extreme: none or high

Using the level of^ experienced^ anxiety^ as^ a critical^ factor^ in^ the determinantion of responses to socialization, the following section presents each of the seven socialization dimensions which may be used in an organization to socialize newcomers^ or individuals^ who^ are^ crossing^ or have crossed an organizational boundary. These seven dimensions will later be used with espoused agent socialization practices^ at^ LINC^ to^ test Van Maanen's and Schein' s theoretical link^ between^ socialization practices and outcomes.

Descrlption of^ socialization^ dimensions

1. Setting; formal/informal^ This socialization dimension (^) considers the degree of formality in the learning of new (^) roles. An informal strategy prepares the newcomer for a new (^) role, whereas a formal stratgey prepares the^ newcomer^ for a new status, a. In the informal strategy, newcomers are left (^) to their own devices to (^) learn their (^) new roles: it's a sink or swim (^) approach. This strategy emphasizes the^ development^ of actions appropriate to (^) the new role. The role may be learned through loosely defined "on-the- (^) job-training" assignments. According to the theory, the informal strategy has the "potential for more extreme (^) responses" (Van Maanen & Schein, 1979: (^) 49), The results of an informal strategy, dependent (^) on the socialization agent(s), will tend to be either innovative or (^) non-innovative. With innovative socialization agents, i,e. an innovative (^) organization, outcomes are expected to be innovative. (^) Similarly, when socialization agents are non-innovative, i.e, the (^) organization has a primarily non-innovative orientation, outcomes are expected to be non-innovative. In this way outcomes of an informal strategy are situationally determined. b. (^) A formal (^) socialization strategy segregates or isolates newcomers from the regular members of the organization in order to provide the newcomers with (^) a specific and common set of experiences. The emphasis is on developing appropriate attitudes and learning what one may or^ may^ not do in the new (^) role. Because of the clear prescriptions to the newcomers, little anxiety is experienced. Hence, formal socialization is "most likely (^) to produce custodial [non-innovative]" outcomes (Van Maanen & Schein, (^) 1979: 48).

3. Time frames; fixed/variable This dimension is concerned with (^) the knowledge of timetables (^) for movement through career stages (^) in an organization. (^) As implied by the labels, in a fixed socialization strategy, (^) both timetables and (^) career stages are clear and known. In a variable (^) socialization strategy, the timetables are not clearly set or they are (^) not clearly known. a. When the expected time to be spent in a (^) stage or the time until the next passage is known, as in the case when (^) a fixed socialization strategy is practiced, anxiety is unlikely (^) to develop. As a consequence of the clarity of movement timetables, an individual (^) who spends too much (^) or too little time in a given (^) stage is perceived as a deviant within the framework (^) of the organization. Deviants are those who (^) are "off-schedule", Deviants are often^ considered failures and as such, they (^) are isolated from those who are "on-schedule." The theory states (^) that responses are most likely (^) innovative. In the case of deviants, outcomes of socialization are not specified in the theory. b. In variable socialization, timetables for transitions do not exist or are not known. In some instances, the minimum time to (^) be spent in a position may (^) be known, but the actual time to the next passage remains unspecified. (^) Hence, rumors and past history may play an important role in setting expectations of progress. Nevertheless, (^) according to the theory, (^) in such (^) a situation, the expectations are often ambiguous, resulting in frustration, anxiety, and confusion for the individual. Administrators and others who have the ability (both authority and power) to promote or to hold an individual back are powerful. As a result of high anxiety and the consequent tendency to conform as a means (^) of

decreasing experienced anxiety, variable^ socialization should result in non-Innovative responses.

4. Tracking: tournament^ /contest^ o In this dimension, a career is viewed as a series of competitions, each of which has Implications for an individual's future career options. (^) In a tournament socialization (^) process, one mistake turns a person into^ a^ loser^ forever:^ the^ person^ is^ not^ likely^ to^ progress^ and may even move down in the organization. Contest socialization avoids making distinctions among individuals. In each competition, assuming similar levels of performance, each individual has the same opportunity for career^ growth.

a. A tournament^ strategy^ causes^ individuals^ to^ be^ tracked,^ on^ the

basis of presumed differences, as either winners or losers. The tracking typically occurs quite early in the individual's^ tenure^ with^ the organization. In an extreme^ tournament^ strategy an individual^ can^ not afford even one failure. Thus, to avoid failure, conformity to known rules and roles will^ be^ the^ 'safe'^ approach,^ little^ risk-taking^ is expected, employees will tend to a homogenous^ group, and^ responses^ are likely to be non-innovative. b. The contest socialization strategy is accommodating: everyone begins equal and has the same opportunities. Performance is the^ key criterion for advancement within the organization. These features are likely to result in the acceptance of individual differences, risk-taking, and high levels of participation and cooperation among organization members. Hence, high mobility is likely.^ Individuals^ are