The process of adjusting to a new organization is called organizational socialization. The term onboarding is increasingly used to signify everything from recruitment to orientation, to the effective settling in of the employee into their job. Socialization is a complex, lengthy process. It may take new employees weeks or months to understand what is expected from them on the job and how to behave in order to be accepted by other organization members.

Despite the importance of socialization, some organizations do little to introduce and integrate new members, forcing them to learn on their own. Employee socialization can benefit both the individual and the organization. The focus needs to be on much more than just the employee’s first day or first few days on the job.

Organizational socialization is the way employees acquire social knowledge and skills to assume an organizational role. The net result of this process is that someone who is considered by organization members to be an outsider is transformed into a productive and accepted insider. Before we discuss the socialization process itself, it is important that we explore three fundamental concepts: organizational roles, group norms, and expectations.