Organizational tactics -

Please enable JavaScript to view the full PDF

CITPM 2018 – Contemporary Issues in Theory and Practice of Management Gheorghe Cojocariu1 Spiru Haret University Romania Raluca Balica2 University of Craiova Romania Elvira Nica3* Bucharest University of Economic Studies Romania Sofia Bratu4 Spiru Haret University Romania Ionel Mohîrță5 Danubius University Romania 7. ORGANIZATIONAL TACTICS AND INDIVIDUAL PROACTIVE BEHAVIORS IN THE NEWCOMER SOCIALIZATION PROCESS Abstract: We rely on recent literature (e.g. Korte, Lin, 2013; Moyson et al., 2017; Nifadkar, Bauer, 2016) to prove that the impact of social connections and network relations is instrumental in the capacity of newcomers to harmonize successfully into the organization. We conducted our survey in 150 top tech companies covering ICT workforce based on CompTIA data, using Australian Public Service Commission and Orima Research questionnaires, as they were most relevant for our research. Then employing data from U.S. Labor Department and The Wall Street Journal, we performed an analysis and made estimations concerning why people leave jobs, i.e. the socialization process might have been affected: although a large portion of job separations has been caused by recession, most of them encompassed voluntary quits and involuntary layoffs. The reconfiguration of newcomers from outsiders to insiders may be massively affected by the nature of the links and benevolence advanced between the newcomer and the supervisor and fellow workers. Our findings bring groundbreaking insights indicating that a significant proportion of task-related knowledge suitability may instruct newcomers proactively regarding the adequate ways to settle technical issues they experience at work, improving their task-proficiency, and assist them in carrying out their performance objectives competently. The mechanism of identifying their position in the organization, assimilating into the relational arrangement, and grasping the convenient manners of assessment and laboring are challenging if decided by the newcomers to realize how to fit in. Keywords: behavior, newcomer, organization, proactive, socialization. JEL Classification: D83, A13, D46, D63 1. Introduction The reconfiguration of newcomers from outsiders to insiders may be massively affected by the nature of the links and benevolence advanced between the newcomer and the supervisor and fellow workers (Korte, Lin, 2013). Our findings bring groundbreaking insights indicating that a significant proportion of task-related knowledge suitability may instruct newcomers proactively regarding the adequate ways to settle technical issues they experience at work, improving their task-proficiency, and assist them in carrying out their performance objectives competently (Nifadkar, Bauer, 2016). Organizational socialization is a mechanism of collective adjustment between organizations and newcomers (Nica, 2017) in which the outcomes of the embracing of the proactive behavior models of the surrounding 1 Assoc. Prof. Gheorghe Cojocariu Ph.D.; Berceni Road 24, Bucharest, Romania, email: [email protected] 2 Teach. Ass. Raluca Balica Ph.D.; Alexandru Ioan Cuza Street 13, Craiova, Romania, email: [email protected] 3 Prof. Elvira Nica Ph.D.; Romana Plaza, No. 6, Bucharest, Romania, email: [email protected] 4 Prof. Sofia Bratu Ph.D.; Berceni Road 24, Bucharest, Romania, email: [email protected] 5 Assoc. Prof. Ionel Mohîrță Ph.D.; Galați Bvd. 10, Galați, Romania, email: [email protected] * Corresponding author 63 CITPM 2018 – Contemporary Issues in Theory and Practice of Management culture may be an effect of organizational ascendancies in addition to separate approaches and conducts. With regularized socialization, entities persuade newcomers to analyze and perform in consonance with deep-rooted roles (Hrabynskyi, Horin, Ukrayinets, 2017), consequently inviting them to adhere to extremely structured processes. Entities depending on personalized socialization assimilate newcomers more by default (Campbell, Ross, Thomson, 2017) than purposefully and ask them to be groundbreaking and to enthusiastically create their own position in their new entity. Organizational involvement may not bring out a superior fit between newcomers (Nica, 2017) and their organization as there are qualitative determinants and barriers to this process. Organizational socialization may not be a decisive/adequate component of person-organization fit, because the impact of the organizational socialization mechanism (Bratu, 2017) on person-organization fit (Pera, 2017) is greatly conditional on a diversity of precursors. Organizational socialization does not invariably generate superior consistency among employees or a more powerful fit with their entity. The impact of organizational socialization on entities and newcomers advances over time and requires entities’ elementary features and newcomers’ antecedent approaches (Moyson et al., 2017). 2. Literature Review Research indicates that, concerning organizational socialization, the prevalent individualist view should be surpassed and the consequences of social connections on newcomers (Reimann, 2017) in the socialization mechanism should be encompassed. The impact of social connections and network relations (Misankova, 2016) is instrumental in the capacity of newcomers to harmonize successfully into the organization. Social capital is a relevant component (Esty, 2017) shaping separate and organizational performance. How satisfactorily newcomers are assimilated proactively into the entity’s social arrangement and what resources they advance or take up throughout the socialization mechanism are reliant on the conjoint architecture of acquirements and involvement by newcomers, fellow workers, and supervisors. The resources provided to newcomers by the individuals comprising the labor collective in the course of socialization represent the social capital (Moghtader, 2017) of the group. The participants in various network positions (Orlova, 2017) have distinctive access (Chapman, 2017) to resources (Popescu Ljungholm, 2017a) and may supply distinct chances and resources to newcomers during the time that they endeavor to harmonize into the collective. A relevant component of the socialization mechanism is grasping to perform the task (Kliestikova et al., 2017) in a manner that is consonant with the other fellow workers of the organization. As significant features of the job may not be recognizable, newcomers depend on other workers in the group to assist them proactively in grasping the manner things are done (Korte, Lin, 2013). Thus, our hypothesis, developed from the literature review, and aimed to fill a research gap, is that there is an identifiable substantial link between organizational tactics and individual proactive behaviors in the newcomer socialization process. 3. Methodology We conducted our survey between February and May 2017 in 150 top tech companies covering ICT workforce based on CompTIA data, using Australian Public Service Commission and Orima Research questionnaires, as they were most relevant for our research. We covered four main sections: critical attraction attributes, attributes/benefits influencing employees to stay in the public services, factors influencing employees to leave the public services, and explanations for people leaving jobs (% of job separations that are voluntary quits, involuntary layoffs, or others). Then employing data from U.S. Labor Department and The Wall Street Journal, we performed a quantitative analysis and made estimates concerning why people leave jobs, i.e. the socialization process might have been affected: although a large portion of job separations has been caused by recession, most of them encompassed voluntary quits and involuntary layoffs. The selected companies were of great assistance in our proving that no matter how self-assured new workers are regarding their abilities, teaming up proactively with a new entity signifies redesigning themselves socially and grasping new job duties. Newcomers’ relationship discord with their fellow workers may bring about social distress, which may diminish newcomers’ information asking from them. Confronting relationship friction with their fellow workers (Petcu, 2017), newcomers may be driven to set up relationship building (Friedman, Gerstein, 2017) with their managers and such endeavors may afterwards further information asking from them. We have enhanced previous research by proving that, albeit some coworkers may communicate information without requiring guidance from others (Peters, 2017), the more the newcomers appeal to their fellow 64 CITPM 2018 – Contemporary Issues in Theory and Practice of Management workers for advice, the more relevant the information they are to communicate to newcomers, and thus the more wide-ranging is the information accessible to newcomers (Nifadkar, Bauer, 2016). 4. Results The results confirm our hypothesis that there is an identifiable substantial link between organizational tactics and individual proactive behaviors in the newcomer socialization process. As previously indicated, the position of newcomers proactively assimilated into an organization emerges at a negligible status in the network. The reconfiguration of newcomers (Thiel, 2017) from outsiders to insiders may be massively affected by the nature of the links and benevolence advanced between the newcomer and the supervisor and fellow workers. Our outcomes demonstrate that newcomers should establish confidence and seek for some impartial degree of control, admission into the group (incorporation), and consonance (affect). Evidence shows that, for newcomers, such characteristics of the relational component of the labor collective are more relevant than the standards, duties, and identity provided by the group. Handling the enhancement of labor ties by newcomers and fellow workers is an intricate mechanism because newcomers do not grasp the structural (Harris, Estevez, 2017), relational (Shaefer, Wu, Edin, 2017), or cognitive facets of the group. We contribute to the body of knowledge by delineating that mastering such conventional standards is furthered by initially cultivating satisfactory connections and via mentoring, which supply newcomers the collective’s resources of information (Mattingly, Wimer, Collyer, 2017), values, and convictions. An element of the difficult task intrinsic in the mechanism of socialization entails the elaboration of newcomers’ proficiencies and staunchness to the organization (Korte, Lin, 2013) (Figures 1-4). Our analyses are based on the results obtained from our survey between February and May 2017 in 150 top tech companies covering ICT workforce based on CompTIA data, using Australian Public Service Commission and Orima Research questionnaires. The most critical attraction attributes were: the interests and/or experience match the responsibilities of the job and/or the business of the organization, technical challenge/complexity of work, and job security. Figure 1. Critical attraction attributes Source: Australian Public Service Commission. ICT Workforce Capability and Assessment, Report of Employee Survey Findings, Orima Research, and own results Issues of medium importance include: ability to contribute to making a difference, desire to gain experience in a different working environment, opportunity to work on innovative or “leading edge” 65 CITPM 2018 – Contemporary Issues in Theory and Practice of Management projects, future career opportunities in the organization, geographical location of the job, and reputation for good work practices. Less relevant aspects encompass: opportunity to work with particular people, remuneration package, reputation for doing important work, developmental and/or educational opportunities provided, and opportunity to work on cross-agency projects (Figure 1). The most relevant attributes/benefits influencing employees to stay in the public services were: job security, flexible hours and alternative work arrangements, interests and/or experience matching the responsibilities of the job, technically challenging and engaging work, positive working relationships with colleagues, and ability to contribute to making a difference. Issues of medium importance include: opportunities for career development and progression, convenience of location of the agency where work is performed, good remuneration package, and opportunity to work on innovative or “leading edge” projects. Less relevant aspects encompass: the desirability of working with the immediate manager, a sense of belonging and being valued as an employee, good developmental and/or educational opportunities, fun, positive and vibrant work environment, opportunities to work on cross-agency projects, and recognition of prior learning (Figure 2). Figure 2. Attributes/benefits influencing employees to stay in the public services Source: Australian Public Service Commission. ICT Workforce Capability and Assessment, Report of Employee Survey Findings, Orima Research, and own results The most relevant factors influencing employees to leave the public services were: good working relationships, opportunities to utilize/develop the skills and capabilities, good management, appropriate remuneration package, interesting work provided, seeing tangible results from the work performed, and opportunities to be creative/innovative and for career development. Issues of medium importance include: access to flexible working arrangements, regular feedback/recognition received for effort, duties/expectations that need to be made clear, appropriate workload and level of autonomy in the job. Less relevant aspects encompass: working with inspired/enthusiastic people, suitable employment conditions package, chance to make a useful contribution to society, opportunities to vary duties/roles/jobs, sufficient technical complexity of work issues, and stability of job responsibilities (Figure 3). 66 CITPM 2018 – Contemporary Issues in Theory and Practice of Management Figure 3. Factors influencing employees to leave the public services Source: Australian Public Service Commission. ICT Workforce Capability and Assessment, Report of Employee Survey Findings, Orima Research, and own results We finally estimate the proportion of job separations that are mainly voluntary quits, involuntary layoffs, and caused by recession (Figure 4). Figure 4. Why people leave jobs: Percent of job separations that are voluntary quits, involuntary layoffs, or others Source: Labor Department, WSJ.com, and own estimates 5. Discussion There might be within-organization dissimilarities in the unique practices of newcomers that may exert far-reaching impact on their adjustment. As soon as the socialization schemes are completed, newcomers may spend a large portion of their time (Popescu Ljungholm, 2017b) with their fellow workers and supervisors, who gradually exert more ascendancy on newcomers in comparison with the distal entity. Besides companywide orientation schemes, organizations should give heed to the continuing experiences newcomers have the moment they team up with an entity. Organizations should keep apart newcomers from circumstances that lead to significant degrees of relationship disputes for a 67 CITPM 2018 – Contemporary Issues in Theory and Practice of Management considerable time after integration and instruct them on how to handle and construe discord situations they may come across. Organizations should proactively include fellow employees in the newcomer adjustment proposals (Reimann, Pausch, Diewald, 2017), e.g. bolstering the senior workers to prevent divergences with new ones to make sure that they accommodate satisfactorily. Newcomers may take up sufficient information and carry out tasks effectively even when they do not acquire advice from their fellow workers, if they can identify an acceptable equivalent (e.g. the supervisor). A significant proportion of task-related knowledge suitability (Molina, 2017) may instruct newcomers regarding the adequate ways to settle technical issues they experience at work, improving their task-proficiency, and assist them in carrying out their performance objectives competently. Information seeking may make sure that correct information is accessible to newcomers, improving their self-assessment of their capacity to accomplish tasks (Prowle, Araali, 2017) and increasing their performance as appraised by the manager. Information suitability may moderate the connection between information-seeking parameters and task-related results (Nifadkar, Bauer, 2016). 6. Conclusion Our outcomes supply relevant evidence for the claim that the mechanism of proactively identifying their position in the organization, assimilating into the relational arrangement, and grasping the convenient manners of assessment and laboring are challenging if decided by the newcomers to realize how to fit in. Transferring such an intricate, interdependent process to labor collectives and newcomers without a certain direction and cognizance of the shared duties of both parties (Popescu Ljungholm, 2017c) is a delicate situation for entities. We have found significant support for the expectation that the substantial priority on the relational features of socialization suggests the requirement for labor collectives to take more accountability for incorporating newcomers into their social arrangements. The newcomers and their fellow workers and manager conjointly comprise grasping and harmonizing into an organization (newcomers cannot do that on their own). Furthering interpersonal connections among employees has important consequences (Collins, 2017) on how satisfactorily newcomers are assimilated into the organization. As limitations in the current research, more hypotheses should be inspected and related directions for subsequent multilevel analyses to clarify whether the repercussions of the somewhat intangible social systems on employees are relevant mediators that facilitate and hinder the activity of the organization. The notion of social capital and its advantages are crucial to the training and performance of newcomers. Our results may have applications specifically in the sphere of the relational arrangements of labor collectives that moderate the configuration of, and access to (Androniceanu, 2014), the resources of the collective, which impacts the favorable outcome of socialization mechanisms for newcomers (Korte, Lin, 2013). References Androniceanu, A. (2014). Research on Management Capacity of Medical Units for Addicts to Deliver Quality Services in Time of Crisis. Revista de Cercetare și Intervenție Socială, vol. 47, pp. 78-104. Bratu, S. (2017). Is Green Consumerism Really an Environmentally Conscious Behavior? Geopolitics, History and International Relations, vol. 9, iss. 2, pp. 167-173. Campbell, J., Ross, S., Thomson, E. (2017). Recession and Recovery in Scotland: The Impact on Women’s Labor Market Participation beyond the Headline Statistics. Journal of Research in Gender Studies, vol. 7, iss. 1, pp. 123-136. Chapman, B. (2017). Geopolitics of the 2016 Australian Defense White Paper and Its Predecessors. Geopolitics, History and International Relations, vol. 9, iss. 1, pp. 17-67. Collins, S. (2017). How Well Can the Gender Pay Gap in Mississippi Be Explained? Journal of Research in Gender Studies, vol. 7, iss. 2, pp. 27-38. Esty, D.C. (2017). Toward a Sustainable Global Economy: An Initiative for G20 Leadership. Journal of Self-Governance and Management Economics, vol. 5, iss. 2, pp. 46-60. Friedman, H.H., Gerstein, M. (2017). Leading with Compassion: The Key to Changing the Organizational Culture and Achieving Success. Psychosociological Issues in Human Resource Management, vol. 5, iss. 1, pp. 160-175. Harris, E.C., Estevez, M.L. (2017). The Role of Gender and Motherhood Ideologies in Perpetuating Workplace Inequality. Journal of Research in Gender Studies, vol. 7, iss. 2, 67-85. Hrabynskyi, I., Horin, N., Ukrayinets, L. (2017). Barriers and Drivers to Eco-innovation: Comparative Analysis of Germany, Poland and Ukraine. Ekonomicko-manazerske spektrum, vol. 11, iss. 1, pp. 13-24. 68 CITPM 2018 – Contemporary Issues in Theory and Practice of Management Kliestikova, J., Kliestik, T., Misankova, M., Corejova, T., Krizanova, A. (2017). Aspects of Morality and Law Enforcement in Today’s Science in Post-Soviet Countries. Science and Engineering Ethics, [online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-017-9988-x [2017, December 15]. Korte, R., Lin, S. (2013). Getting on Board: Organizational Socialization and the Contribution of Social Capital. Human Relations, vol. 66, iss. 3, pp. 407-428. Mattingly, M.J., Wimer, C.T., Collyer, S.M. (2017). Child Care Costs and Poverty among Families with Young Children. American Journal of Medical Research, vol. 4, iss. 2, pp. 162-167. Misankova, M. (2016). Strategic Planning - Surveys Carried Out in the Slovak Republic. Ekonomicko-manazerske spektrum, vol. 10, iss. 1, pp. 59-72. Moghtader, B. (2017). Human Capital and Education of Desires after Michel Foucault. Journal of Self-Governance and Management Economics, vol. 5, iss. 4, pp. 35-52. Molina, N. (2017). Why Didn’t More Ethnic Mexicans Sign Up for Obamacare?: Examining Public Health’s Impact over One Hundred Fifty Years. American Journal of Medical Research, vol. 4, iss. 2, pp. 20-46. Moyson, S., Raaphorst, N., Groeneveld, S., Van de Walle, S. (2017). Organizational Socialization in Public Administration Research: A Systematic Review and Directions for Future Research. The American Review of Public Administration. Forthcoming, [online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074017696160 [2017, December 15]. Nica, E. (2017). Foucault on Managerial Governmentality and Biopolitical Neoliberalism. Journal of Self-Governance and Management Economics, vol. 5, iss. 1, pp. 80-86. Nica, E., Potcovaru, A.-M., Mirică (Dumitrescu), C-O. (2017). Job Loss, Unemployment, and Perceived Job Insecurity: Their Effects on Individuals’ Health and Well-Being. Psychosociological Issues in Human Resource Management, vol. 5, iss. 2, pp. 193-198. Nifadkar, S.S., Bauer, T.N. (2016). Breach of Belongingness: Newcomer Relationship Conflict, Information, and Task- related Outcomes during Organizational Socialization. Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 101, iss. 1, pp. 1-13. Orlova, A.V. (2017). ‘Public Interest,’ Judicial Reasoning and Violence of the Law: Constructing Boundaries of the ‘Morally Acceptable.’ Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice, vol. 9, iss. 2, pp. 51-80. Pera, A. (2017). The Prevalence and Cost of Deviant Behavior in the Workplace to Both Organizations and Employees. Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice, vol. 9, iss. 1, pp. 139-145. Petcu, C. (2017). Democratic Sexuality and Alienated Capitalism in Houellebecq’s Novels. Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice, vol. 9, iss. 2, pp. 81-87. Peters, M.A. (2017). Ecopolitical Philosophy, Education and Grassroots Democracy: The ‘Return’ of Murray Bookchin (and John Dewey?). Geopolitics, History, and International Relations, vol. 9, iss. 2, pp. 7-14. Popescu Ljungholm, D. (2017a). The Social Ontology of Institutions: A Reassessment. Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice, vol. 9, iss. 1, pp. 132-138. Popescu Ljungholm, D. (2017b). Global Policy Mechanisms, Intergovernmental Power Politics, and Democratic Decision- Making Modes of Transnational Public Administration. Geopolitics, History, and International Relations, vol. 9, iss. 2, pp. 199-205. Popescu Ljungholm, D. (2017c). Feminist Institutionalism Revisited: The Gendered Features of the Norms, Rules and Routines Operating within Institutions. Journal of Research in Gender Studies, vol. 7, iss. 1, pp. 248-254. Prowle, M.J, Araali, N.A. (2017). Meeting the Escalating Demands for Health and Social Care Services of Elderly Populations in Developing Countries: A Strategic Perspective. American Journal of Medical Research, vol. 4, iss. 2, pp. 127-146. Reimann, M. (2017). What Contributes to Psychological Contract Breach? Investigating a Multilevel Approach on the Interplay of Organizational and Individual Factors. Psychosociological Issues in Human Resource Management, vol. 5, iss. 1, pp. 7-45. Reimann, M., Pausch, S., Diewald, M. (2017). Work–Family Conflict in Germany: Psychological Contracts as Part of Employment Relationships in Work–Family Research. Psychosociological Issues in Human Resource Management, vol. 5, iss. 2, pp. 127-153. Shaefer, H.L., Wu, P., Edin, K. (2017). Can Poverty in America Be Compared to Conditions in the World’s Poorest Countries? American Journal of Medical Research, vol. 4, iss. 1, pp. 84-92. Thiel, A. (2017). The Scope of Polycentric Governance Analysis and Resulting Challenges. Journal of Self-Governance and Management Economics, vol. 5, iss. 3, pp. 52-82. 69