INDUCTION AND

SOCIALIZATIONPRESENTED BY: ANKIT SINGH (07)

MOEEN AKHTAR(27)

YOGESH RAJPUT()

PRASHANT TOKAS(36)

WHAT IS INDUCTION?

When a new employee joins an organization, he is completely a stranger to the people, work place and the work environment. Therefore, he is likely to feel insecure, shy and nervous. In the absence of information and support these is likely to be anxiety and fear in his mind. He may undergo reality shock caused by a gap between his expectations and the real situation. Induction or orientation can help overcome these problems. Once an employee is selected and placed on an appropriate job, the process of familiarizing him with the job and the organization begins. This process is called induction or orientation.

Orientation or induction is “the process of receiving and welcoming an employee when he first joins a company and giving him the basic

information he needs to settle down quickly and happily and start work”. The new employee is introduced to the job and the organization. The purpose of orientation is to make the new entrant feel at home and develop a sense of pride in the organization and commitment to the job. The newcomer is explained his duties and responsibilities, company policies and rules, and other relevant information to get acquainted and accommodated with the organization. Orientation is therefore, the process of indoctrination, welcoming, acclimatization, acculturatisation and socialization.

OBJECTIVES OF INDUCTION

Orientation helps to reduce labour turnover and absenteeism. It also reduces start up time and costs. It develops realistic expectations and reduces anxiety. It prevents a worker from falling a prey to subversive elements which thrive on creating labour unrest by misrepresenting employers to illiterate employees. Induction is particularly important in a country like India where the new worker from rural areas finds himself completely at sea in an industrial town. Proper orientation enables the new employee to get off to a good start and to develop his overall effectiveness on the job. Thus an orientation programme is designed to achieve the following objectives.

To help the newcomer overcome his natural shyness and nervousness in meeting new people in a new environment.

To build up the new employee’s confidence in the organization and in himself so that he may become an efficient employee.

To develop among the newcomers a sense of belonging and loyalty to the organization.

To foster a close and cordial relationship between the newcomers and the old employee and their supervisors.

To ensure that the newcomers do not form false impression and negative attitude towards the organization or the job because first impression is the last impression.

To give the newcomers necessary information such as location of cafeteria, toilets and locker room; rest periods and leave rules, etc.

Every organization has an obligation to make integration of the individual into it as smooth and comfortable as possible. Small organizations may do it through informal orientation by the employee’s immediate supervisor whereas large organizations usually develop formal orientation programmes. Such a programme consists of a tour of the plant or the office, a talk on the history and background of the organization, a short discussionWith a personnel officer and distribution of company handbooks are used in formal orientation.

ADVANTAGES OF FORMAL INDUCTION

Induction helps to build up a two way channel of communication between management and workers.

Proper induction facilitates informal relations and teamwork among employees.

Effective induction helps to integrate the new employee into the organization and to develop a sense of belonging

Induction is helpful in supplying information concerning the organization, the job and employee welfare facilities.

Proper induction reduces employee grievances, absenteeism and labour turnover. A large proportion of labour turnover occurs during the early weeks of employement because no effort is made to make newcomer feel at home. Instead of letting the new employee learn through trial and error a formal and systematic induction programme will avoid he possibility of new employee acquiring a wrong impression. The first, impression on the employee’s mind is very critical.

A formal induction programme proves that the company is taking a sincere interest in getting him off to a good start.

Induction helps to develop good public relations. Public relations begin at home when new employees are convinced that what is good for the company is ultimately in their own interest. Through induction new employees develop confidence in the company and in themselves.

CONTENTS OF INDUCTION PROGRAMME

A formal induction progamme should provide information concerning the following:

Brief history and operations of a company Product and services of the company The companies organization structures Location of departments and employee facilities Policies and procedures of the company Rules, regulations and daily work routines Grievance procedures Standing orders and disciplinary procedures Terms and conditions of services including wages, working hours,

overtime, holidays, etc. Suggestions schemes Benefits and services for employees Opportunities for training, promotions, transfers, etc

A formal orientation programme may be spread over from a day to a fortnight. Induction involves, two sub-processes;

a. Acquainting the new employee with his new surroundings andb. Indoctrinating him in the philosophy of the enterprise. The

essence of indoctrination is to convince the employee that he is working for a good company and for a good cause. It is necessary to answer any questions and clarify any doubts that the newcomer may have about the job and the organization

A typical orientation programme should consist of three steps. First, general information about the history and operations of the organization is provided by the personnel department. Its purpose is to help an employee build up some pride and interest in the organization. During general orientation information is also given on specific employee services, such as pension, health and welfare facilities and safety programmes. Secondly, specific orientation relating to the job and work unit members is given by the supervisor. The employee is introduces to other employees, shown his place of work, informed of the location of, canteen and toilets, rest rooms, etc. Te purpose of specific orientation is to enable the new employee adjust himself to is work and the environment. It is possible that much of the instructions given to an employee in the beginning may not stick in his mind. Periodic follow up is required to ensure that the employee improperly placed and feels at home, Thirdly, follow up orientation is undertaken to know the employee’s feelings and to remove the difficulties faced by him through personal talks, guidance and counseling. It may be coordinated by the joint efforts of job supervisor and the personnel department.

HOW TO MAKE INDUCTION SUCCESSFUL

The following guidelines may be helpful in making orientation more effective:

Human side is the most important part of orientation. Therefore, first of all the new employee should be introduced to the people with whom he will work – his colleagues, superiors and subordinated. A tea party may be arranged for this purpose

Make the new employee aware of the general company policies that apply to him as well as the specific work situation and requirements

Administer small doses of information over a period of time rather than giving everything on a single day. Orientation should be a gradual process

Answer any questions and clarify any doubts that the employee may have about the job and the organization

Provide on the job instructions and the counseling

Keep in close touch with the new employees to check back how he is doing and offer help if required.

Allow reasonable time to adapt to the new work environment and job demands……

EFFECTS OF WRONG INDUCTION:

WHAT IS SOCIALIZATION?

Organizational Socialization is the process by which a new member learns and adapts to the value of system, the norms, and the required behavior pattern of an organization, society or a group.

Socialization is the process of "learning of ropes", the process of being indoctrinated and trained, the process of being taught what is important in an organization or some unit thereof. It occurs in school. It occurs again and perhaps most dramatically, when the graduate enters an organization on his first job. It occurs again when he switches within the organization from one department to the or from one rank level to another. It occurs all over again if he leaves one organization and enters another.

Socialization does not include all the learning, but only include learning of norms values and behavior pattern that from an organizations point of view expected from an employee. This learning is defined as the price of membership.

Such a value system, norms and behavior pattern could include

The basic goal of an organization. The preferred means by which these goals should be

attained. The basic responsibilities of the member In the role granted

to him by the organization. The behavior patterns required for effective performance in

the role. A set of rules or principles that pertain to the maintenance of

the identity and integrity of the organization.

Socialization Socialization as a process is also found in colleges in the form of ragging, in schools in the form of rules, regulations and the models to emulate and in the society by confirm to the constitution of the land and the customs. Upending experiences are

deliberately planned or accidentally created circumstances that dramatically and unequivocally upset or disconfirm some of the major assumptions new employees hold about themselves, their companies or jobs.

Socialization can take place in various ways, for example;

To provide assignment so easy or trivial that they carry the clear that the new employee is not worthy of being given anything important to do. The assignment could be so tough that the failure is a certainty, thus proving that the new employee is not smart.

An interesting example would be of a company in which the manager would ask the new employees to examine and diagnose a particular circuit, which violated a number of text book principle but actually worked very well. The baffled new employee would check and re-check the circuit and pronounce the circuit as faulty. At this point the manger would confidently show the new employees that the circuit works

The speed and effectiveness of the Socialisation determine employee loyalty, commitment, productivity and turnover. The basic stability and effectiveness of the organization therefore depends on their ability to socialize the new members.

The success of socialization would depends on two factors,

Initial Motivation- If the initial motivation of the individual is high then he will tolerate all kinds of uncomfortable Socialization experiences.

Interest generated- The degree to which the organisation can hold the new member captive during the period of Socialization.

To invest much time and effort in the new member and thereby build up expectations of being repaid by loyalty, hard work, and

rapid learning. To make a series of small behavioral commitment he can justify, that only through the acceptance and incorporation of company value.

In some instances socialization is considered a negative process questions are raised as to if the company is on the ethical path to change the very behavior and values of an individual without his consent. The fact remains that Socialization serves a very definite function in an organization that of standardization. As we see later on in this paper socialization uniforms process and removes ambiguity. For example if an employee knows that promotion will be performance based he will spend more time in producing rather than politicking.

The information on how to conform to the accepted norms can be given through,

Official literature,Examples set by key models,Instructions given by trainers, coach or boss,Example of seniors who have been in the organization for much longer periods Rewards or punishments given to the new employee for his efforts, andExperimenting with new values and behavior.

How do organizations socialize?

To facilitate the understanding process of Socialization in as usually carried out in companies the process can be broken down into 7 steps. Each step is explained with suitable examples.

Step One: Careful selection of entry level candidatestrained recruiters use standardized procedures & seek specific traits that tie to success in the business. It is at this point that a

well-informed applicant would deselect himself if he feels that the organization does not fit with his personal styles and values.

Entry into an organization includes the period of preparation and training on the part of the individual, the recruitment & selection process that occurs prior to accepting a job, the actual hiring decision and the initial job placement.

The kind of education that an individual opts for goes a long way to the deselecting process. In the sense that if an individual opts for engineering after his 12th then he has effectively deselected himself from being a doctor, an accountant or a lawyer. This is deselecting at a very basic level.

In order to find the right job, it is necessary for a person to develop a realistic appraisal of his talents, needs and values. This self-concept also needs to be continuously reappraised because a person’s map is always changing.

The concept of "anticipatory socialization" is well worth looking into at this point. This when an individual prepares himself for his early career by developing what he considers to be the attitudes and values necessary for succeeding in his chosen occupation. A businessman would be committed to a profit motive, a social worker to a service motive and so on. It would be therefore better for an individual with a Holland score of artistic to go in for an organisation, which holds premium on creativity such as Advertising agencies. It is when an organisation or an individual makes a misinformed choice and is not able to fit in the culture and the process of the organization do problems like turnover frustration etc. arise

From the organizations point of view this step would be a failure if any of the following occurs:

A high-potential recruit does not accept a job offer.

A high-potential recruit joins the organization but leaves soon after because of disillusionment or disappointment.

A high-potential recruit joins the organization but loses motivation & becomes a marginal performer.

A seemingly high-potential recruit joins the organization but turns out to have low talent, low motivation or values incompatible with those of the organization.

In order to avoid these kind of failures, an organisation should have self-insight. Which would mean that the recruiters should have a very clear idea of what jobs need to be filled, what the characteristics of those jobs are, how those jobs would change over time. In short the selection process should be designed in the same way as the organization works. If it is then, in screening interviews there is a greater possibility of accurately describing to the recruits what they will be doing both in the short & in the long run.

The recruitment/selection system must be able to diagnose long range growth potential in a person as well as short range potential. Its selection procedure should be congruent with the requirements and the organizations value system.

This selection process is one of the primary bases on which a candidate forms his impression of the company. The organization should therefore be careful not to project something that they are not, because this could cause a candidate to deselect himself. This would be a loss to the organization esp. if the candidate is a high-potential performer.

Finally, organizations must make more of an effort to integrate the recruitment/selection activities with those of job placement and early supervision. Because, lack of congruence at this interface, would run the risk of producing early disillusionment & turnover.

Involving line mangers, the new recruits’ immediate boss, in the process, can do this. If the number of people to be recruited is too high to involve all the line managers, then there should be frequent contact between the recruiters and the line managers.

P&G has a lengthy form that all aspirants have to fill. Based on this form they shortlist people. The shortlist candidates then have to go through 3~4 sessions of interviews, which are mostly "Behavioral Event Interviews". Suppose an MBA student has done his summer project at P&G, then after he has completed his summers, his guide, other people in the department and the VP sit together and discuss whether the concerned person would fit into the organization or not. The emphasis is not on the persons’ work but on whether he will fit in. P&G focus a lot on minute details and this is evident in its application form. We have live examples of students in XL who have not applied to P&G because their form was very long & meticulous, this is a good example of deselecting.

Until now HLL used to have two Group Discussions. One would be case based and the second would involve a 1 minute presentation by each shortlist candidate followed by a GD on the same topic. This would culminate in a 30-min interview. People who have done their summers at HLL would all be called to a major city for a long drawn interview, where there would be atleast 2 directors on the panel. The questions asked are mainly theoretical or academic. This year HLL has introduced the component of the written test which checks for theoretical knowledge as well as application skills. The questions span all areas of management.

Step 2: Humility -Inducing experiences:

Consider this- A management graduate from XLRI joins ICI and on landing there declares-"I would like to formulate the

new IR policy of ICI" This happens most of the time. Management graduates with their new found knowledge think that they can change an organization overnight. Considering the ground realities their ideas being implemented is hardly practical.

A new trainee has much to learn not only will his idea be thrown out of the window if he is not accepted in the organization but also has the new trainee learn how the organization operates such as the political wheeling dealing, the power-centre how to sell his idea to a group etc. To learn all this way adopted by the organization is to make a trainee on jobs, which they would perceive as unimportant. This has repercussion as the new inductee learning the ropes of the organization, getting a feel that they for the organization and not the organization for them.

Step 3: In the trenches training

Companies would ideally want that a MT should be able to put his theory into practice for the benefit of the organization. But for this the MT has to know the ground realities. To get the trainee in place most of the companies follow a rigorous one to two year training probation period. This would ideally consist of short stints in all the functional areas and a longer stint in the MT's specialization area.

For example as Pepsi's probation period for their marketing department trainees consists of the trainees not sitting and formulating strategy for a product but going with the delivery trucks to the vendors and taking stock of the situation. Going to small vendors such as paanshops in small town and cities and convincing them to keep Pepsi at an observable position in the shop for the ease of the consumers.

Step 4: Adherence to values

The new trainees have to perhaps go through a lot disillusionment , personal sacrifices( missed occasions with family and friends over the week end) and adjusting to the vagaries of the organization by changing the labile self. This is compensated to a certain extent when the organization gives something in return. A quid pro quo of sorts. For example the employees of Delta airlines accept the fact that during hard times the company will stand by them even if the industry is laying of their employees, the employees of Sony, Mitsubishi accepts the fact that for his dedication he has got life long employment. This gives a sense of security to the MTs in a New World. And even they then try to give their best to the organization.

Step 5: Rewards & Control Systems

 

Rewards and control systems are meticulously refined to reinforce behavior that is deemed pivotal to succession the market place. The employees who don’t adhere to the Cultural and Behavioral Norms of the Organization, due to the dissonance between the Values of the Individual and the Values of the organization; are given a clear warning to either shape up or ship out.

The IBM way of a Penalty Box, is a very apt example. In India, the PSU’s have a habit of shunting away their "mis-fits" to assignments and other jobs which take them away form the organization’s mainstream. These are the Siberian Postings in the companies.

Step 6/7: Reinforcing Folklore, Consistent role models

Folklore is used as a reinforcer to make the employees behave in a certain way that helps the organization. This creates a culture in the organization.

Take the example of 3M. The culture of 3M articulates thus—

Our corporate culture encourages a lively exchange of concepts and information across different areas and functions. You're expected to be creative. To share your knowledge, freely and often. And to demonstrate a ready willingness to solve problems, act on your initiative and motivate others.

In 3M the legend of Founder member like Francis G. Okie still lives on. His ideas like using sand paper instead of razor to rub a man's face smooth is taken as an example of thinking wild. Or if we take the story of how the scotch tape was invented to service only one customer and for which alternate uses were found and which finally grown into a $750 Million business. The story is reinforced in 3M to force its employees to think creatively. Folklore reinforces the culture of an organisation. It is often seen that the culture of the organisation is influenced to a great extent by the personality of its founders. Nearer home could take the example of the TATA empire which is influenced by J R D Tata’s (not its founder) personality of being a highly ethical and caring organisation or the case of Reliance which carries Dihrubahi’s mark. OF being aggressive and a workaholic organisation in the competitive world. Legends and folklore in the organisation reinforce the culture in the minds of the new recruit as he acclimates to the culture.

Why do companies socialize:

Why do the companies go to such extents of molding their employees in a mould and run the risk of making them robots, killing creativity, risk making them into administrators rather than

entrepreneurs. There is a good reason for this. The reason being that Socialisation creates order and consistency. To control and bring about order to the organisation there are two ways either we have formal controls such as rules for every move an individual makes Or we impose informal controls which can be imposed through organisational culture which is build through ages and is passed on to the next generation through Socialisation.

Companies, which have a strong culture and socialise effectively eliminate a lot of ambiguity and free up time for the executives to do more of productive work. For example in 3M it is assumed that you will not be punished for your failures if you are trying out a new idea or a concept so one can go ahead and take risks. You can afford to have a Nelson’s eye to the boss. Because the organisation reinforces that culture. On the other hand you try something like this in a PSU the employee will be shown the door.

But companies should realize the fact that Socialization should only be carried to a particular extent after Socialization will be counterproductive.

Negative Effects of Socialization

The new inductee’s stable and labile self are the two things that are likely to get affected by the induction program. On can imagine The Labile self as a flexible covering and the Stable self as the strong core, around which the covering exists. Normal Induction of the company can be described as a mesh. The individual’s flexible covering has to be adjusted to the shape of the meshed holes yet the holes must be significantly larger that the stronger core inside the flexible layer. This is the process of induction happening correctly. At some times the Induction process may not be as self-controlled and can be compared to forceful pressing of the labile self into the shape as desired by the company. But shaping as to not touch the strong inner Rewards and control systems are

meticulously refined to reinforce behavior that is deemed pivotal to succession the market place. The employees who don’t adhere to the Cultural and Behavioral Norms of the Organization, due to the dissonance between the Values of the Individual and the Values of the organization; are given a clear warning to either shape up or ship out.

 

Problems start occurring when the company’s induction program puts so much of pressure on the self that not only does the Labile (Flexible) gets distorted, but the stable self is also pressed and tried to put into shape.

This kind of induction program kills the individuality of the person. This can be very dangerous for the organisation as the personal creative talent dies out. More personality and mis-fit problems are seen to arise form this effectively.

The Future

We believe that a company should have a strong culture and also must be reflected throughout its ranks. These cultures should also help the company to remain flexible and keep up with today’s rapidly changing business environment. This can only be done if the culture promotes creativity and innovation, full and duplex, yet informal communication throughout the organisation, enough autonomy to the employees and other such things.

In line with what we were saying: these are some of the Induction Practices of some new and progressive MNC’s, in India for entry level inductees. These companies are trying hard to build cultures that promote openness and innovation. The data has been made available through Eicher Consultancy Services, who have developed and implemented these strategies; hence the client names are not disclosed.

Treasure Hunt:

Here the inductee team is broken up into small groups of five ~ six inductees. They are put at different parts of the city (in this case Mumbai), and like a treasure hunt, they are left with a set of clues to try and reach the "treasure". Each group has a coordinator, who is a employee, he/she sticks along and travels with the group as a city guide. The set of exiting clues sends them to the corners of the city (they are given enough mobility), and also tests their ability to "think on their feet", besides providing them with lots of fun and excitement.

The hunt "successfully" ends at the company HQ building where they are welcomed and then introduced around. The team members have already learnt enough about each other and the company during the Hunt as the clues also keeps informing them about the company’s who’s who and other information.

This organisation is a very young firm and even most of the senior executives would fall in the 30~35 age group.

With the Boss: at his home

This is a company, which is a basically deals with Corporate Finance Management. During the induction of their new Treasury Officers; one weekend is left free for this special program.

Here their immediate boss (Sr. Treasury Officer) invites the team of the new junior traders the weekend to his home. Where the new team of four ~ five inductees spend the entire weekend with him and his family, talking, going-out and doing a host of other activities with the boss and his family.

This leads to a very different way of "learning the ropes", and a very unique and "close" way of socializing.

 

The Lonavla Retreat

Here the company is a fast up-coming FMCG, based in Pune. The new inductees are taken to Lonavla a hill station very close on the Mumbai – Pune Highway. The company has its training division based at a farmhouse near Lonavla.

A weeklong induction program covers the company specific information and a host of aptitude assessments. Some days are spent with their immediate bosses for half-day hikes, and over night adventure camps.

These activities are basically directed towards the building of camaraderie between the boss and his future team. The week at Lonavna (generally in the rains) is enjoyed buy employees and inductees alike.

The Boss-a-Day Experience

This company deals with Financial and Business Consulting. Here the inductees are previously given six months of lecture-room induction ad training. But after that the difference is seen in the way the conclusion of the induction is done.

This company deals with Financial and Business Consulting. Here the inductees are previously given six months of lecture-room induction ad training. But after that the difference is seen in the way the conclusion of the induction is done.

In the last week, the inductees are assigned to the various Consultants and Sr. Consultants and they are made to take over the superior’s role. They do all the activities their boss does in those days. And it’s really serious, they are to make independent decisions. The Boss stays with them but he can only suggest if the inductee asks for advice, or is stuck up with some contact.

This is done pretty seriously in the organisation and at the end of a week a rigorous review is done jointly between the inductee and his/her boss.

 

The Mud Fights of this Company

This is an upcoming IT Company in the Western region of the Country. They have an equity partnership with a world-wide IT Company based in Germany.This is an upcoming IT Company in the Western region of the Country. They have an equity partnership with a world-wide IT Company based in Germany.

Here the inductees, during their initial days of the 24-week induction process, have a mud and water fight. The company books an amusement park space for a day. The inductees and their immediate intended superiors engage in battle. The different groups protect their space in the park using water pistols, water balloons and mud balls as the only weapons. There is an actual "war – planning" that goes on before the fights take place.

The fight works out very messy and loud, but the results of the socialisation are very easily tackled.

INDUCTION IN INDIAN INDUSTRY:

Induction has been one of the most neglected areas of personnel management in Indian industries. Very little is done for systematic induction of a new employee in an industrial unit. The newcomer is generally expected to know the enterprise through trial and error and

stumble his way in the organization. In Indian industry, induction is necessary particularly for rural workers, young persons and management trainees. A rural worker joining a factory for the first time has to adjust not only to his work environment but also to a new social environment. When a young person above the age of 14 years joins, the aged workers might resent. Proper induction will help to develop a rapport between the old and the new employees. Graduates from management schools find it difficult to adjust themselves with traditional management style in family owned companies. Induction is required to help them adjust to a new work culture.

Thus, “induction has a greater significance in a developing country like India, where the percentage of illiteracy is very high. The worker finds himself completely at sea when by force of circumstances he has to shift from rural surrounding into an industrial unit. It is no use trying to push a handbook of certified rules and regulations into his hands and expecting him to turn out into a loyal and efficient employee. He needs a short and simple induction conducted by someone who speaks his own language. This will go a long way in reducing turnover and, above all, in preventing a worker from the likelihood of falling a prey to subversive elements who thrive on creating labor unrest by misrepresenting employees to illiterate employees”.

CASE STUDY

CASE STUDY

Doubling Customer Service Ratings saving £720,000 per year for an investment of £150,000.

The Background we were asked to investigate the induction training of a major household energy provider at one of their customer contact centres.

The client asked us to comment on the current induction and then make recommendations on how to improve the approach used and the results achieved. The driver for this project was the const of induction. The average recruitment cost is approximately £5,000 per person to cover recruitment and induction training. Yet theclient was having to run one induction every month to stand still. This was costing over £60,000 per month as they were losing 12 people per month on average.

The client had also identified that if people left it was usually during the induction or shortly afterwards. Attrition was a critical issue for the Business duing the

first 6 months. According to exit interviews, the reason they left was either:-

The boring style of trainingThe sheer quantity of information they were expected to rememberTheir desire to be productiveThe difficulties they faced when they joined their teamsThe lack of interest or support from their Team ManagerNew starters were looking forward to joining the company yet quickly felt unsupported and demoralised. This meant they had little desire to perform or to learn and simply did not enjoy the induction or their job. Naturally, this translated itself to customers and the Customer Experience ratings for new starters were very low.

The company uses a measure of Customer Experience to rate its staff and new starters were scoring about 40%. Any score of less than 60% indicated Dissatisfied Customers.

The client had therefore recognised that the poor approach of new starters was hurting their reputation and costing them Customers – Dissatisfied Customers were leaving.

Findings:

We looked at induction in detail. Induction was a 12 week process which included:3 weeks classroom4 weeks 1:1 support, live calls5 weeks graduate area, intensive support from experienced Team Manager

The reasons for the poor performance and attrition of new starters were:Uninspiring preparation for new starters before they joined – informationprovided was very functional and unwelcomingScreen dumps and slides – meant little to the new starters© Copyright Leaps & Bounds (Training) LtdLack of welcome – New starters were nervous and were treated like children starting a new school. They waited quietly in reception and then were led in single file through the contact centre, while everyone stared at them. The training room was a dirty, dark room with little space.

No Team Manager involvement – often the new starters only met their Team Manager a day or so before they joined their team so did not feel part of the team when they joined.

Low priority – training rooms were changed in mid session as someone else commandeered the room.

Training style – lots or lectures or Powerpoint presentations.Training content – emphasis on knowing the system and proceduresProcessing Customers not building relationshipsProduct knowledge – new starters were overloaded with information and were expected to remember every possible aspect of the business and every possible product.

Testing knowledge rather than applicationGraduate area – new starters were loaded with more information after the initial training during the 1:1 and graduate area periods of induction. This meant that they were often performing at a lower level at the end of their induction than when they started their 1:1 support

Coaches in graduation encouraged processing rather than Customer Service, when new starters joined their teams, there was little additional support fromTeam Managers to reflect their inexperienceTeam Managers did little coaching, handling escalated calls and doing administration for the team took up all of their time staff were very happy to escalate calls as they saw this as an easy answer.

In the live environment, existing staff processed Customers, with little real interaction or relationship building.These findings came from analysis of:Observing inductionReviewing training and corporate materialsListening to calls through induction and beyondObserving Team ManagersFocus groups with trainers, coaches and Team ManagersDiscussions with centre managersMeeting Customer Service Director and Senior ManagersThe Change we reduced the induction from 12 weeks to 5 weeks. This meant three weeks classroom and just 2 weeks in the graduate zone.We dramatically reduced the quantity of information required during induction. This followed research which showed that the vast majority of calls fell into 10 types of enquiry and their variations.

This meant that the focus for individuals was simpler and it felt easier to assimilate the information. Our aim was to ensure they were able to deliver incredible service on the top 10 calls and then had the skills to successfully handle the communication and fact finding they needed to handle additional calls that came up more infrequently.© Copyright Leaps & Bounds (Training) LtdThis was achieved through:Identifying the top 10 queries and concentrating on new starters becoming experts at those enquiries so that they could perform effectively as soon as they took live calls.Focus on Customer and communication the whole programme consists of work in context with Customer Focus and service skills in bite size chunks including sales opportunities instinctive responses developed through role play and other methods.

Basing around the calls themselves equipping new starters with research skills – so they can find out for themselves.All activities work related with diverse activitiesContinuous assessment, life – skills, developing connections in others, Solution focusedInduction training lasted for weeks 1-3:

Raving Fans service provisionDeveloping CSRs who are interested in people not just the transactionSelf analysis and self development skills ongoing assessments for knowledge,skills and behavioursOfficial graduation_Graduate zone covered weeks 4 and 5:Structured hand over from Induction – focus for developmentAssessment based on targets and behavioursBuilding CSRs own personality on the foundation of confidenceIncreased call observations and coachingHandover to Team Manager_The Managers role we designed a session for Team Managers, who learned how to use a toolkit of quick hit activities they can use at work. They have also learned to organise their time so they spend the majority of it coaching those who most need support, usually new starters.New starters are welcomed into the business on day one by their Team Manager and treated as special. Existing staff are encouraged to speak to them! Managers now get to know them through induction.See the light!

Training is delivered in bright, airy, clean rooms and the rooms are decorated with visual learning aids. Training uses the latest brain friendly approaches, so that the learners have fun and remember what they learn.© Copyright Leaps & Bounds (Training) LtdLearning is relevant from day one. So they explore the calls they take and learn frompractising and analysing calls rather than just listening and watching.Technical skills such as systems training is built into the communications skills, so they learn both by practice.Above all they learn by practising in context using Customer calls as they way to learn all aspects of their job.

The expert we avoid overload by concentrating on the top ten queries. New starters become experts at taking 80% of calls so that they can contribute from the moment the start taking live calls. The remaining 20% of calls they learn once they have started. Thisis highly motivational as they feel valuable and of course they are valuable!

Induction is now fun and we have encouraged the spirit of fun to permeate into the call centre so that the spirit

of the new starters is reflected by those who have been there for some time. Therefore we have also worked with the managers to ensurethey coach and support.

Results speak for themselvesInduction has become the catalyst for a change of culture through the way that Team Managers behave and manage their people.

The results are new starters who are achieving very good service levels, much lower sickness and attrition and a big cost saving.The Customer Experience ratings for new starters are now 80%, which means that Customers who speak to new starters have gone from being dissatisfied to being loyal.The changes have saved the £60,000 per month in recruitment as no-one has left from the new groups.

Next the training team will be redesigning induction at the company’s three other call centres. This is projected to save a further £180,000 per month with little additional investment in us because we have up skilled the internal team.

CASE STUDY:

Naik, AGM Materials, is fuming & fretting. He bumped into Kamath,GM Materials, threw the resignation letter on his table, shouted and walked out of his room swiftly.

Naik has reason for his sudden outburst. He has been driven to the wall. Perhaps, details of the story will tell the reasons for Naik’s bile and why he put in his papers , barely four months after he took up his present assignment.

The year was 1995 when Naik quit the prestigious SAIL plant at Vishakapatnam. As a manager materials, Naik enjoyed powers- he could even place an order for materials worth Rs 25 lakh. He needed nobody’s prior approval.

Naik joined a pulp making plant located at Harihar in Karnataka, as AGM Materials. The plant is a part of the multi product & multiplant-conglomeraate lured Naik away from the public sector steel monolith.

When he joined the euclayptus pulp making company, latter did Naik realize that he needed prior approval to place an order for materials worth Rs 12 lakh. He had presumed that he had the authority to place an order by himself worth half the amount of what he used to do at the mega steel maker. He placed the order, materials arrived, were received, accepted and used up in the plant.

Trouble started when the bill for Rs 12 lakh came from the vendor. The accounts department withheld payment for the reason that the bill was not endorsed by Kamath. Kamath refused to sign on the bill as his approval was not taken by Naik before placing the order. Naik felt fumigated and cheated . A brief encounter with Kamath only aggravated the problem. Naik was curly told he should have company rules before venturing . Naik decided to quit.

ARTICLES

Organizational socialization and induction in universities:Reconceptualizing theory and practice

PAUL TROWLER1 & PETER KNIGHT21Department of Education Studies, University of Central Lancashire, Preston Lancashire;2Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UKReceived 22 September 1998; accepted 4 November 1998Abstract. This paper argues that the theory and practice of induction and socialization of new

academic staff in universities have been based on a partial, corporatist, perspective influencedby now defunct structural-functionalist theory. We develop a more sophisticated theoreticalunderstanding of organizational socialization and explore its consequences for the practiceof induction of new academic staff. These ideas are based on secondary data derived from anumber of studies of new academic appointees (NAAs), 27 in-depth interviews we conductedwith academics in ten Canadian and English universities, both chartered and unchartered, anda five year ethnographic study of academic staff in a single unchartered English university.

Why study induction and organizational socialization?

The research project on which this paper is mainly based was conducted between 1997 and 1998. It sought to answer three key questions:* what regularities and differences are there in the organizational socializationexperiences of new academic appointees (NAAs) in Canada and England?

* how can these experiences be better understood?* what are the implications for professional practice of any findings?Previous studies we have separately conducted had indicated that these were important questions, both theoretically and in practical terms. The data collection method employed was a series of long semi-structured interviews with 24 new appointees in two Canadian and eight English universities,some of whom were re-interviewed after one year. The English sample contained both ex polytechnics (‘unchartered universities’) and more established(‘chartered’) universities. We also bring to this paper concepts and theory developed as a result of our other investigations (Trowler 1998; Knight 1998). The data we present here to support our conclusions are not meant to be ‘representative’ in any statistical sense: the ‘symptoms of truth’ (McCracken 1988) we would wish to be applied to our findings are those outlined by Guba and Lincoln (1989).

INDUCTION TRAINING FOR EMPLOYEES

by: Chris Kennelly

Every organization has a big picture, in which they want to achieve their goals and objectives. In order to achieve these one could consider it a sum of all parts, as all employees and all departments need to pull their weight and carry out their functions for the business to succeed and strive for higher goals and objectives.

In terms of induction training, of which is also sometimes referred to as onboarding, the trainer will have the opportunity of communicating these goals and the entire corporate picture to the new employee. It will also allow the proficient training of the employee to conduct their work in the way that is desired and stipulated by the company. This time and process of induction training is in effect the first impression that the new employee will have of the

organization, and the trainer is advised to make the most of this process, obviously without making false claims and promises.

One of the key tips when providing induction training for new employees is to try and keep the training sessions as interesting and as simple as possible. The new employee is out of his or her comfort zone, and without overburdening the employee with new information and details, you would rather want them to gain a good understanding of the business in as simplistic manner and detail as possible. This will insure that the new employee gets an understanding of the entire business. Professionals also recommend that a welcome pack or email be sent to the new employee prior to their first day at work, this will help the employee to get a basic understanding of the company as well as who the key players are in terms of the organization; that is if the company has a suitable website of course.

Each company and organization has a culture and a few of their own unique traits and traditions that

they may follow, such as casual Friday, or drinks at the pub on Tuesdays, whichever the case may be. The new employee should be informed of this and be made to feel welcome to attend these informal get together sessions, it will make them feel valued and part of the team. They should not however find out the long way round, but rather ate the induction training; it will instill that sense of belonging form the very beginning. These little tricks will enable and empower the new employee so that he or she will feel as if they are part of the so called corporate family even before they begin working with their new peers, it will also take the edge off of being the so called new kid on the block.

Induction training enables the corporate training to effectively introduce an organization, its policies and procedures as well as an avenue to be used to welcome a new incumbent into the organizatio n.

INDUCTION PROCEDURE FOR NEW STAFF

By : Bob Pearce

Following a career as a Naval Engineer Officer and many successful years in Senior Management positions, and in Small Business mentoring, Bob has chosen to use the benefit of that experience to help business Owners and Managers create successful businesses. His website http://www.strategic-business-plan-4u.com contains a lot of free advisory information, and his eBook on Strategic Planning is a simple, easy to follow approach to set the pathway for a successful business

I. Objective of an Induction Procedure

The objective of an induction procedure is that the employer, business owner or manager will explain to a new employee, and that the new employee will fully understand the following:

a. The objectives of the business or organization, and the objectives of the area in which the new employee will

work

b. The business or organizational policies and procedures

c. Their own Key performance Indicators, and how these are related to the Strategic Business Plan

d. All aspects of the employment relationship

e. The organizational structure

f. Communication channels within the business

g. The layout and geography of the workplace

II. Benefits of a proper Induction procedure include:

a. Avoiding any doubt on the part of the new employee, especially in respect of performance and quality aspects of the role

b. Giving the new employee a sense of certainty about their job and the whole working environment

c. Avoiding any possible personal grievance or complaint actions

III. Induction Check List

It is important to have a check list of items to cover during the induction procedure. This may be very simple or extensive, but it will provide a permanent record in the employee’s personal file that the procedure was carried out, and the items which were discussed. The sample check list attached can be used as a guide to produce your own, to include other items relevant to your business, or exclude items not relevant.

A Sample Induction Check List is attached at the end of this article.

IV. Further comments to the Induction Check List

a. The business owner or employer should go over the employment Agreement or Contract with particular reference to “out of the ordinary” clauses, and which are beyond the statutory minimum.

b. The new employee should be advised of the business or organizational objectives to help focus the employee where the business is heading.

c. All policies such as Health and Safety, Harassment, Grievance or complaint should be included.

d. The Key Performance Indicators derived from the employee’s Job Description should be explained.

e. Guidance on any business or organizational “Culture” should be explained, including the formality or informality of internal or external relationships.

f. The existence of a Strategic Business Plan relating to the future direction of the business, or proposed changes which have already been advised to existing staff should be disclosed.

g. The time that a business “Buddy” or mentor will be available for assistance.

h. What training will be provided as part of the new role.

INDUCTION CHECKLIST

Induction for: ____________________________ Position: ____________________

Appointment Date: ___ / ___ / ___ Induction to be completed by: ___ / ___ / ___

Manager’s Name & Position: _____________________________________________

Information to be covered – if not applicable mark N/A Staff Initial

BEFORE the staff member starts

Office accommodation and equipment

Confirm office/desk area and office furniture, including any special requirements, diary, stationery etc

Confirm computer availability

Apply for email account, and complete and send off any other computer access forms required

Organise security keys

Internal communications

Inform team of start date of new staff member

Add staff member to distribution lists (including email groups)

Appoint a team “buddy” to assist new staff member in the first week

Send signed offer and employment documentation, including IRD form, New Employee Information Form, Role Description, Date and time of start on first day, Dress code

Draw up list of people the new staff member should meet

Arrange business cards if required

ON THE FIRST DAY

Introduce to Senior Managers

Introduce to team “buddy”

Introduce to rest of team

Provide information on the Company – Structure, Communication and reporting channels, core Processes, policies, goals , future changes

Employment Issues

Hours of work, lunch and tea breaks

Initial discussion/training on the staff member’s new role – key tasks and performance measures, personal concerns contact

Holidays/Sickness entitlement. Explain procedures for leave

Who to contact if sick

How and when payment is made, bank forms

Office Arrangements

Location of office/desk, space for work and personal items (e.g. coat)

Phone book, internal phone book, making outside calls

Voicemail system and arrangements for training

Mail systems, times of delivery and collection etc

Location of toilets and other facilities e.g. coffee & tea, water to drink

Where photocopier, fax, basic stationery and other consumables are located, and how equipment works

Car parking

Computers

Training on the Email system and software packages

Security and Safety

Confidential statement (if required) signed and policy explained

Supply security access keys, as required, and advise on security given, including what to do if these are lost

How to set and turn off any after hours alarm system

Building evacuation and emergency procedures – emergency exits

Location of first aid cabinet. Information on injury reporting and claims supplied