"Socialization of the New Hire in the Workplace"

Linda Lambert

Linda Lambert graduated with a BS in Technical Communication (with High Honors) from New Mexico Tech in 2008. Her advisor for this thesis was Dr. Julie Ford. Linda currently works as a technical writer for research and development laboratory.

Contents

Abstract and Introduction

Purpose and Approach

What is "Socialization"?

Review of Literature 

Necessity vs. Sufficiency

The Path to Success

Conclusion

References

Conclusion

Beginning with my definition of socialization, I identified several steps in the process and examined the literature to determine how previous works correlated TC curricula with workplace expectations. Many works described the evolving role of the TC professional beyond that of editor/writer/document producer. Some works described the obvious role of new hire orientation in the short term, and new employee development in the longer term. Several works emphasized the importance of maintaining a breadth of skills that would facilitate effective interaction with a broad spectrum of project team members. One work in particular identified orientation procedures to equip the new hire for success.

There is a strong consensus that the most successful TC professionals are also the most versatile. This versatility is more crucial to the success of the TC professional than to that of any other member of the organization.

What the literature is missing is a method of cultivating this versatility. I identified four promising strategies for enhancing individual versatility: leadership among your peers, ownership of your development, entrepreneurship of your growth and the growth of the organization, and stewardship of your goals and those of the organization.

Where do you find the guiding principal that unifies all of this? That principal rests in a characteristic of virtually every organization—interest in the bottom line.

What is your personal bottom line, and how do you optimize it?  The crux of a personal bottom line rests in personal choices—formal preparation, adaptability, and willingness to collaborate. Learn the business. Take on the role of a boundary spanner within the context of the organization.   Conversance in your employer’s lines of business might not have been specifically taught in TC curricula.  However, a motivation to learn such conversance must be internal, not external.  Thus, the technical communicator’s role evolves to the mutual benefit of the individual and the business.