How does socialization process help in building an organizational culture?

Humans are known to be social creatures, including the most introverted people. Everyone needs friends and social groups to avoid feeling lonely and isolated. Therefore, to ensure an overall sense of well-being, employees should interact in the workplace. Socialization impacts relations between human in day to day businesses in several ways. It gives employees skills and the necessary customs to participate in the corporate culture. Socialization increases motivation among employees. Generally, when employees socialize in an organization, it allows them to shape the way they view work habits, teamwork, and sharing of information, which are all significant factors for a growing business.

Related: 10 Best Practices of Human Relations

Even though conversations in the workplace might be difficult for some employees, socialization is crucial. There are clear advantages for businesses which socialize today. Employees become more connected than ever while mingling and mixing in new ways.

Advantages of socializing in the workplace -Instead of spending most of our hours at stressful work or busy schedules, we can consider time on getting to know our coworkers. As a result, there can be a variety of advantages to such social interactions.

Here are just a few of the benefits generated from socializing at the workplace.

Socializing makes for more efficient workforce -When coworkers build a connection between each other, a business’ workforce becomes stronger. Employees can have occasional post-work hang-out so that the secure connection outside of work can be brought into work. This helps people to quickly get on the same page about projects. New employees can learn much faster, and information is produced in a more efficient and timely manner.  Managers might not be able to see these improvements, but employees who are closer work more as a unit.

Allows for more openness – It does not matter how coworkers relate within the workplace; communication will always be critical. However, coworkers who socialize at work builds a relationship that is more open than those who are strictly professional. Open employees are more capable of solving substantial issues like conflict, while still respecting one another. Therefore, openness means having more dialogue, which helps in addressing and handling problems before they get serious.

Helps inspire collaboration -People get to know one another more through stronger connections. Without creating time outside work, employees can take a longer time to become comfortable around each other to the point of collaborating at work. Therefore, to yield stronger work, socializing helps in establishing that comfort zone, which later allows collaboration to occur more naturally.

It’s healthy -Healthy workers are happy workers and more productive. Studies show that employees who socialize more lead to better morality within the workplace, which, as a result, lead to better health for those coworkers. A working environment is made enjoyable through relationships and friendships while still maintaining productivity.

Networking – is essential in the modern working world. You don’t have to look for a job or plan on having one. Networking alone will foster those relationships that can be helpful if you don’t have a job. Socializing with your fellow employees can help boost that network.

It refers to process of making the new employees get acquainted to the new environment of the organization. This reduces the anxiety of the new hires and allows them to adjust with the other existing employees in the company.

The purpose of Socialization can be distinctive from firm to firm. However there are certain fundamental purposes which are discussed below.

• Employment Situation: The basic purpose of every organization would be to make the new employees industrious as soon as possible. Hence detailed information relating to work is provided at the initial stage itself.
• Rules and Policies: The workforce should have a good understanding of the constraints and policies of the organization for smooth and continuous operations. Therefore, all the jobs in the company have to be performed as per those rules and policies.
• Compensation and benefits: Although this information is made clear during the recruitment process, an analysis of this is required during socialization process. The employees will have some interest in knowing the rewards offered by the company.
• Corporate Culture: The organization culture affects the entire working pattern of any company. This includes everything, from the way they dress to the way they behave with the other employees. Hence, a glimpse of the culture should be given during Socialization.
• Working as a team: During Socialization, the importance of working as a leader is emphasized to add value to the organization. This ability of leadership is assessed during the initial stages of selection and training.
• Dealing with Change: Coping with change is a big challenge to the employees at all levels in the organization. The employees must have the ability to manage or deal with change for survival in their respective jobs. Socialization helps them in preparing for change by continuously developing and training their skills.

Process of Socialization

The Socialization process can be divided into three stages:

1. Pre- Arrival Stage: This stage recognizes that every individual employee comes with set of values and hope. For example, in some jobs like the managerial kind, the employee might need a substantial degree of socialization in training. During the selection process, most organizations inform their prospective candidates about the process of Socialization. Selection process also helps the organization in determining the right person to fit the right job. The success here depends mostly on the degree of forecasting made by the selection team.
2. Encounter Stage: Here the employees bump into the real working conditions of the organization. For example, the expectations of the job, co workers, immediate seniors and the business as a whole. Here, if the expectations confirm to be more or less correct, this stage reaffirms the employees of the perceptions generated in past. If the reality is different, socialization helps the employees in understanding to replace these. But socialization cannot totally resolve the differences in expectations.
3. Metamorphosis Stage: The new employees, in this stage will work out solutions to meet any problems. Hence this stage is called the metamorphosis stage. At this stage the new employees will have become comfortable with their jobs and the team members. New hires will feel that they have been accepted by their superiors and peers. Not only this, they would have by now understood the organization system as a whole. They will also know what is expected of them, how they are evaluated and how productive they are towards the goals of the organization.

∗ There are many people involved in socializing the new hires. Let us understand who they are:

→ HRM Department: It conducts orientation programs for the new hires in order to socialize them with the new environment. This department plays a vital role in the new employee orientation programs; it also participates in these programs to ensure proper mechanism is in place. Prior to the arrival of new hires, the HRM department must be sure that a proper routine is set for them.

→ Managers or Supervisors: The immediate supervisors will also play a part in socializing with the new hires by informing them about the work culture, policies and procedures. In medium and small organizations new hires may report directly to the supervisors who in turn introduce them to the other employees. These employees will take them through the other departments and make them comfortable with the teams.

→ Organizational Culture: Most of the times, the organization culture itself socializes the new hires with its unique environment. Cultural here may comprise the rules and regulations, principles of significance and language of communication. In a broader sense it includes the etiquette to be followed by the new hires with their peers, supervisors and management.

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