Socialization of professionals in high-technology firms

Abstract

The study of socialization and its processes has only recently been applied to organizations to investigate the manner in which new employees adjust to corporate culture. Past studies have examined the nature of human resource development from an individual perspective. Research in socialization practices represents an organizational approach towards understanding the manner in which new employees adjust to their roles. This study examines the impact of socialization practices on the nature of this role adjustment in the context of high-technology firms. One hundred and sixty newly-hired professionals in high-technology firms were surveyed to examine the relationship between organizational socialization tactics and adjustment variables such as role orientation, job commitment, and role clarity. Results suggest that socialization practices affect professional role adjustment. Specifically, institutionalized socialization tactics lead to a custodial role orientation and individualized socialization tactics produce an innovative role orientation. Further, demographic similarity was found to moderate this relationship; i.e., custodial roles were more prominent in newcomers with high demographic similarity. Implications for future human resource management in high-technology firms and research in this area are discussed.