Expectations, Experiences and Resultant Outcomes During the Socialisation of Newcomers in Small Manufacturing Firms: A Socialisation Agent Perspective

The extent to which pre­employment (pre­encounter) and post­employment (encounter) expectations and experiences of both newcomers and organisational insiders (socialisation agents) are met during the socialisation of newcomers are critical in determining newcomer adjustment, establishing person–organisation (P­O) and person­job (P­J) fit, and in achieving organisational socialisation (OS) outcomes such as performance, job satisfaction and intention to stay/quit. The purpose of this paper is to examine pre­encounter and encounter expectations and experiences of newcomers and socialisation agents and resultant outcomes during the socialisation of newcomers in small manufacturing firms, from the perspectives of socialisation agents. Data were collected regarding the socialisation of newcomers through semi­ structured interviews (incorporating critical incidents) with socialisation agents. Findings of this exploratory qualitative study indicate that expectations are created for both newcomers and socialisation agents during pre­ encounter socialisation processes such as recruitment and selection, as well as through information obtained from other sources. The extent to which experiences match these expectations during the OS process, affect aspects such as newcomer adjustment, P­O fit and key outcomes that include task performance and turnover. The implications of these findings for practice are highlighted and the paper concludes with suggestions for further research.