Chap 3

The Model of Organizational Socialization stood out the most to me when I read chapter three. The anticipatory socialization stage reminds me a lot of the recruitment process that happens when high school seniors are choosing colleges. They only learn about the potential schools through counselors, teachers, parents, and friends, but what they’ve learned from those sources aren’t always true about the colleges. This is the anticipatory socialization stage. The students then carry this knowledge or expectation with them when they attending the schools. They then reach the encounter stage of the model where the students learn first-hand about what the schools really are, eliminating, redefining, or strengthening their previous expectations and knowledge, which leads to the third stage in the model, change and acquisition. In this stage, the students adapt to the surrounding by mastering the task of fitting in with other students and the environment that they’re in.

According to the article by Hahn (2007), when a worker is completely socialized into the company, then they will be committed to the company. However, he doesn’t take into account that a worker could change their mind if a company changes their organization in a way that affects the worker negatively. Hahn states that if a worker responds positively, they receive more socialization from the company, but if they respond negatively, they are either eliminated or given less attention. The author also adds that the notion of continuous learning means that our whole careers could be characterized by socialization. This statement interested me because it made me realize that socialization not only applies to careers, but it also applies to life. Whether it’s about our careers or finding the right college, socialization is a big part of our lives.

Sources:
Hahn, Martin. "Organizational Socialization." ArticlesGratuits.com (2007).
http://www.en.articlesgratuits.com/organizational-socialization-id1525.php