What do we
mean by organizational
“socialization” or “assimilation”
Socialization and assimilation are key processes in any organizational
type setting. Most often it is present in the workplace, but it can also be seen
out of it to. Many athletic teams, sororities and fraternities also share in the
practices of socialization and assimilation.
Socialization can be defined as the process through which an organization
communicates its culture. Most often this occurs when new members are joining an
organization. The authors of, Organizational Communication in the Age of
Globalization describe socialization as, “The ways a member of an organization
learns the norms, values, and skills necessary for adopting a particular role
and performing a particular function within the organization.” What is meant by
this is that any new member of an organization must learn the ropes of their new
setting. More specifically in our college situation, fraternities and sororities
and athletic teams use this to guide new members through the many traditions and
activities that their association has. This allows them to learn the ropes and
they can then offer their understanding of the organization to many other
members in the future.
In a business or group
setting socialization becomes very important. Encarta offers a definition of
communication which says, “Organizational communication is important in every
business. People in organizations need to communicate to coordinate their work
and to inform others outside the business about their products and services.”
The whole socialization process is in place to help to coordinate many members
of group to the common goal of the business.
The
authors of, Organizational Communication in the Age of Globalization also note
that, “While each member entering the organization learns the values, beliefs
and practices of the organization, he or she simultaneously shapes the
organization through his or her “reading” of those values, beliefs, and
practices.” This reinforces the need for learning of specific ideas and values
within an organization. From the learning of those values members can be changed
and in the end it will help them adjust to their new situations. If those ideas
are lost or not communicated to a new member the information lost could have an
effect on how that member works through the organization in the future.
Http://communicationideas.com, offers just these types of things to business
so that they can effectively work towards a common goal.
Socialization can also be
work specific. Things that are learned about a job or spoken about are
communicated to new members so that they are aware of the new things that they
will have to look out for as they go ahead. There are three stages of
work-specific socialization. They are the anticipatory stage, the encounter
stage, and the metamorphosis stage. Through these stages a worker develops an
understanding of the workplace and gains necessary knowledge to go fourth. In
the encounter stage most notably a worker gets information from colleagues and
superiors about rules procedures and practices that are very important and taken
very seriously.
This is where communication
is very necessary. Those rules communicated to a new member are done so that the
faults of others aren’t repeated. The American Journal has an article on
organizational communication and ethics. It offers a look at communication in
organizations and talk about how communication ethics is important in an
organizational setting,
http://acjournal.org/holdings/vol5/iss1/special/seeger.htm. The author of
this Matthew W. Seeger says that, “The study of organizational culture makes
investigations of values, identity and critique central to understandings of
larger systems of organizational meaning. Values are also assumed to have a
direct affect on organizational action and decisions as well as moral choices.”
This shows that organizational communication can also affect choices and what
sorts of things members would do based on the values that they have learned.
Assimilation is also
important to this theme. Encarta offers a definition
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761562007/Assimilation_(sociology).html
of assimilation. It basically shows that individuals within a group adopt the
dominant culture and society of another group. This shows that through the
learning of socialization that assimilation takes place, and the values,
beliefs, and norms of an organization become adapted to a new members culture.
These learned ideas can then be passed by those new members to future members
who are also learning the ropes.
Basically both of these relate to each other. Through the socialization of
an organization new members get an opportunity to learn about the organization
and its values, beliefs, and norms. These in turn become assimilated and
absorbed by the new members. This helps new members of an organization to
develop an understanding of their surroundings and ultimately will make them
feel more comfortable in their new setting.
References
!)
Cheney, Christensen, Zorn Jr, Ganesh, (2004), Organizational Communication in
an Age of Globalization, No Editor, IL, Waveland Press
2)
Communication Ideas, February. 3, 2005,
http://communicationideas.com
3)
Encarta Online, February. 3 and 4, 2005,
http://www.encarta.com
4)
Seeger, M, W, (2001), Ethics and Communication in Organizational Contexts:
Moving from the Fringe to the Center, Volume 5, Issue 1, February. 3, 2005,
http://acjournal.org/holdings/vol5/iss1/special/seeger.htm