Organizational socialization is the way employees acquire social knowledge and skills to assume an organizational role. The net result of this process is that someone who is considered by organization members to be an outsider is transformed into a productive and accepted insider. Before we discuss the socialization process itself, it is important that we explore three fundamental concepts: organizational roles, group norms, and expectations.

Roles define how a person fits into an organization and what they must do to perform effectively. A new role requires learning to perform in ways that fulfill the social, functional, and hierarchical dimensions of that role. For example, a patrol officer who is promoted to shift sergeant will not be completely effective until they know the tasks a sergeant must do, is able to do those tasks, and is accepted by others in the sergeant’s role. Unfortunately, roles are often not communicated clearly. Although many organizations consider a job description to be the official statement of an individual’s role, job descriptions are often vague and open to interpretation.

Individuals do not always conform completely to the role prescribed for them. Role orientation is the extent to which individuals are innovative in interpreting their organizational roles. Norms are the rules of conduct established by group members to influence behavior within a group. Group norms are an important part of the socialization process because they indicate the behaviors that insiders agree are appropriate. Expectations are also central to organizational socialization. Newcomers have expectations about how they will be treated, what they will be asked to do, and how they will feel in the new organization, among other things.

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