Abstract
The study is intended to provide novel insights into the adaptation of new members of parliament to a working environment that differs in many ways from more traditional workplaces. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with 16 first-term members of the Icelandic parliament, the Althingi, after two years’ experience following their election in 2013. The findings show that learning to become active members of parliament is primarily an informal and disorganised process driven by the newcomers themselves. Little formal on-the-job training is available. Two years into their term, the interviewees felt they were still learning and adapting to the rules and norms. New MPs’ performance seems to depend on several factors, including how active they are in the learning process and how successfully they manage to build relationships with colleagues and find informal mentors, who in some cases belong to different political parties. The data limits the inclusion of contextual factors potentially influencing the MPs socialisation process.
Highlights
How does a new member of parliament (MP) adjust to the job? This is an important challenge regardless of the organisation the newcomer enters; how to adjust to the new working environment and learn the behaviours, attitudes and skills necessary to function STJÓRNMÁL &effectively within the organisation (Bauer et al 1998; Bauer et al 2007)
This section describes the findings from semi-structured interviews with 16 first-term MPs elected in 2013
The structure of the section follows the key topic of the interviews: anticipatory socialisation, i.e. how the MPs prepared for the job and accommodation, and their experience of the first months
Summary
Effectively within the organisation (Bauer et al 1998; Bauer et al 2007) This adjustment process, known as organisational socialisation (OS), is defined as the transition from a “state of certainty to uncertainty; from knowing to not knowing; from the familiar to the unfamiliar” (Van Maanen & Schein 1977, 16). The second phase (“accommodation”) takes place when the newcomer starts the transition period within the organisation, starts to learn the job and how the organisation is operated and begins to gain acceptance from his or her co-workers. The third phase, “role management”, follows the accommodation stage for newcomers and focuses on the learning process and adjustments required to become a fully accepted member of the organisation. It adds detail and clarity to learning from previous stages
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