How newcomers learn the social norms of an organization: A case study of the socialization of newly hired engineers

Abstract Current scholarship views organizational socialization as a learning process that is primarily the responsibility of the newcomer. Yet recent learning research recognizes the importance of the social interactions in the learning process. This study investigated how newly hired engineers at a large manufacturing company learned job‐related tasks and the social norms of the organization. From the perspective of social exchange theory, two major findings emerged from the data: (1) relationship building was the primary driver of socialization, and (2) the work group was the primary context for socialization. These findings challenge the current views of organizational socialization by accentuating the relational processes that mediate learning during socialization.