An experimental study of newcomers’ information seeking behaviors during organizational entry

While earlier research highlights the importance of newcomers’ information seeking in their adjustment at work, these investigations are limited by a narrow conceptualization of information seeking behaviors. Using an experimental design, this study tests a broader conceptualization of information seeking tactics and examines factors affecting tactic use. Results indicate newcomers use five distinct information seeking tactics (overt, observe, third party, indirect, and testing) and that tactic use varies with the type of information sought, its source, the social costs associated with seeking the information, and newcomers’ departmental assignment. Implications for newcomers and their managers and for future research are discussed.

[1]  Gareth R. Jones.  Socialization Tactics, Self-Efficacy, and Newcomers' Adjustments to Organizations , 1986 .

[2]  Michael Sunnafrank.  Predicted Outcome Value and Uncertainty Reduction Theories A Test of Competing Perspectives , 1990 .

[3]  E. Lawler,et al.  Behavior in Organizations , 1986 .

[4]  J. V. Maanen,et al.  Toward a theory of organizational socialization , 1977 .

[5]  Anne S. Tsui,et al.  SELF-REGULATION FOR MANAGERIAL EFFECTIVENESS: THE ROLE OF ACTIVE FEEDBACK SEEKING , 1991 .

[6]  P. Kearney,et al.  The Strategy Selection-Construction Controversy: A Coding Scheme for Analyzing Teacher Compliance-Gaining Message Constructions. , 1989 .

[7]  R. Ziller,et al.  TOWARD A THEORY OF OPEN AND CLOSED GROUPS. , 1965, Psychological bulletin.

[8]  Barry Z. Posner,et al.  Female and male socialization experiences: An initial investigation , 1985 .

[9]  P. Wright.  The Social Psychology of Organizations, (2nd Ed): Daniel Katz and Robert L. Kahn New York: Wiley, 1978, 838 pp. , 1979 .

[10]  Vernon D. Miller,et al.  INFORMATION SEEKING DURING ORGANIZATIONAL ENTRY: INFLUENCES, TACTICS, AND A MODEL OF THE PROCESS , 1991 .

[11]  Fredric M. Jablin.  Assimilating New Members into Organizations , 1984 .

[12]  C. Berger,et al.  SOME EXPLORATIONS IN INITIAL INTERACTION AND BEYOND: TOWARD A DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION , 1975 .

[13]  Michael Sunnafrank.  Predicted Outcome Value During Initial Interactions A Reformulation of Uncertainty Reduction Theory , 1986 .

[14]  M. R. Louis,et al.  THE AVAILABILITY AND HELPFULNESS OF SOCIALIZATION PRACTICES , 1983 .

[15]  L. Baxter,et al.  “Secret Tests”Social Strategies for Acquiring Information About the State of the Relationship , 1984 .

[16]  Kathy Kellermann,et al.  Anticipation of Future Interaction and Information Exchange in Initial Interaction , 1986 .

[17]  F. Heider.  The psychology of interpersonal relations , 1958 .

[18]  D. Berlyne.  Curiosity and exploration. , 1966, Science.

[19]  Robert N. St. Clair,et al.  Language and social psychology , 1981 .

[20]  Elizabeth M. Goering,et al.  Item Desirability Effects in Compliance‐Gaining Research Seven Studies Documenting Artifacts in the Strategy Selection Procedure , 1988 .

[21]  R. W. White.  Motivation reconsidered: the concept of competence. , 1959, Psychological review.

[22]  S. Ashford.  Feedback-Seeking in Individual Adaptation: A Resource Perspective , 1986 .

[23]  E. Morrison,et al.  Newcomer information seeking: Exploring types, modes, sources, and outcomes. , 1993 .

[24]  R. Katz,et al.  Time and Work, Towards an Integrative, Perspective , 1980 .

[25]  Susan J. Ashford,et al.  Proactive feedback seeking: The instrumental use of the information environment , 1985 .

[26]  R. Kahn,et al.  The Social Psychology of Organizations , 1966 .

[27]  E. Goffman.  The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life , 1959 .

[28]  E. Goody.  Questions and politeness : strategies in social interaction , 1978 .

[29]  Robert T. Craig,et al.  THE DISCOURSE OF REQUESTS.: Assessment of a Compliance-Gaining Approach , 1984 .

[30]  Blake E. Ashforth,et al.  Climate Formation: Issues and Extensions , 1985 .

[31]  E. Schein.  The Individual, the Organization, and the Career: A Conceptual Scheme , 1971 .

[32]  S. Barley,et al.  Occupational Communities: Culture and Control in Organizations , 1982 .

[33]  J. B. Teboul.  Facing and Coping with Uncertainty During Organizational Encounter , 1994 .

[34]  Allen C. Bluedorn,et al.  Men and Women of the Corporation , 1978 .

[35]  P. Blau.  Exchange and Power in Social Life , 1964 .

[36]  S. Ervin-Tripp.  Is Sybil there? the structure of some American English directives , 1976, Language in Society.

[37]  J. K. Larsen,et al.  A Contingency Approach to Communication Skill Importance: The Impact of Occupation, Direction, and Position , 1987 .

[38]  P. Muchinsky,et al.  Work as an information environment. , 1978, Organizational behavior and human performance.

[39]  G. Graen.  Role-making processes within complex organizations , 1976 .

[40]  E. E. Jones,et al.  From Acts To Dispositions The Attribution Process In Person Perception1 , 1965 .

[41]  Jeanne M. Brett,et al.  Job transitions and personal and role development , 1984 .

[42]  R. Heslin,et al.  Information search as a function of stimulus uncertainty and the importance of the response. , 1972 .

[43]  Daniel C. Feldman,et al.  The Multiple Socialization Of Organization Members , 1981 .

[44]  J. D. Sherman,et al.  The Impact of Emergent Network Structure on Organizational Socialization , 1986 .

[45]  C. Berger,et al.  Language and social knowledge: Uncertainty in interpersonal relations , 1982 .

[46]  J. B. Teboul,et al.  Determinants of new hire information‐seeking during organizational encounter , 1995 .

[47]  M R Louis,et al.  Surprise and sense making: what newcomers experience in entering unfamiliar organizational settings. , 1980, Administrative science quarterly.

[48]  Martin M. Greller,et al.  Sources of feedback: A preliminary investigation , 1975 .

[49]  J. Pfeffer,et al.  A social information processing approach to job attitudes and task design. , 1978, Administrative science quarterly.

[50]  D. Railton.  Communication skills training for engineering students in British Universities , 1986, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication.

[51]  G. C. Homans,et al.  Social Behavior: Its Elementary Forms. , 1975 .

[52]  P. Brown,et al.  Universals in language usage: Politeness phenomena , 1978 .

[53]  Fredric M. Jablin.  Superior–subordinate communication: The state of the art. , 1979 .

[54]  Elizabeth Wolfe Morrison,et al.  Impression Management in the Feedback-Seeking Process: A Literaturereview and Research Agenda , 1991 .

[55]  G. Graen.  Unwritten Rules for Your Career: The 15 Secrets for Fast-Track Success , 1989 .

[56]  E. Goffman.  Interaction Ritual: Essays on Face-To-Face Behavior , 1967 .

[57]  Fredric M. Jablin.  Organizational entry, assimilation, and exit. , 1987 .

[58]  Gregory B. Northcraft,et al.  The preservation of self in everyday life: The effects of performance expectations and feedback context on feedback inquiry , 1990 .

[59]  Charles R. Berger,et al.  To Ask or Not to Ask: Is That a Question? , 1983 .

[60]  E. Morrison,et al.  Longitudinal study of the effects of information seeking on newcomer socialization , 1993 .

[61]  H. Weiss.  Subordinate imitation of supervisor behavior: The role of modeling in organizational socialization , 1977 .

[62]  Rose Norman,et al.  The engineer's guide to better communication , 1985, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication.

[63]  Steven R. Wilson.  Face and Facework in Negotiation , 1992 .

[64]  David E. Hunt,et al.  Intrinsic Motivation: A New Direction in Education , 1971 .

[65]  S. Jackson,et al.  A meta-analysis and conceptual critique of research on role ambiguity and role conflict in work settings , 1985 .

[66]  J. Traupmann,et al.  Equity: Theory and Research , 1978 .

[67]  D. Feldman,et al.  Feedback-Seeking Behavior of New Hires and Job Changers , 1990 .

[68]  S. Ashford,et al.  The Effects of Tolerance for Ambiguity on Feedback Seeking Behavior , 1990 .

[69]  William A. Donohue,et al.  Directive use in negotiation interaction , 1985 .

[70]  Linda L. Putnam,et al.  Handbook of Organizational Communication: An Interdisciplinary Perspective , 1987 .

[71]  Kathy Kellermann,et al.  When Ignorance Is Bliss The Role of Motivation to Reduce Uncertainty in Uncertainty Reduction Theory , 1990 .

[72]  Debra R. Comer,et al.  Organizational Newcomers' Acquisition of Information from Peers , 1991 .

[73]  L. Edna Rogers,et al.  Manager-Subordinate Control Patterns and Judgments About the Relationship , 1987 .

[74]  Walter R. Nord,et al.  The Study of Organizations through a Resource—Exchange Paradigm , 1980 .

[75]  D. C. Feldman,et al.  A Contingency Theory of Socialization , 1976 .

[76]  L. L. Cummings,et al.  FEEDBACK AS AN INDIVIDUAL RESOURCE: PERSONAL STRATEGIES OF CREATING INFORMATION , 1983 .

[77]  Fredric M. Jablin,et al.  CHARACTERISTICS OF APPLICANTS’QUESTIONS AND EMPLOYMENT SCREENING INTERVIEW OUTCOMES , 1985 .

[78]  Michael E. Roloff.  Interpersonal Communication: The Social Exchange Approach , 1982 .