Changing the Nature of the Beast: How organizational socialization contributes to the development of the organizational role identity of Dutch veterinary inspectors

Abstract

On the first day at a new job, you have sweaty palms, nerves race through your system, and you feel insecure. Now, a couple of months later these feelings have left. You know what to do in your new role and have become part of the organization. The process leading to this result is called organizational socialization. But how did it happen? What did you learn? Where and from whom did you get the information? Studying the case of Dutch veterinary inspectors, using a mixed methods design, this research tries to increase our understanding of the dynamics underlying the organizational socialization process. Does it matter when public professionals spent most of their time outside the organization? Do external actors influence the organizational socialization process? What role do organizational level strategies play in the individual socialization process of public service professionals? What do public professionals learn from their interactions with colleagues? This study concludes that learning is not the only way employees adjust to ther new working environment. Equally important is the perception of being supported by the organization.