Organizational socialization and ethical fit: a conceptual development by serendipity
| Pages | 511-527 |
| Published date | 04 March 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-11-2017-0347 |
| Date | 04 March 2019 |
| Author | David A.L. Coldwell,Mervywn Williamson,Danielle Talbot |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Global HRM |
Organizational socialization and
ethical fit: a conceptual
development by serendipity
David A.L. Coldwell
Faculty of Commerce Law and Management,
School of Economic and Business Sciences,
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Mervywn Williamson
School of Management, IT and Governance, University of KwaZulu-Natal,
Durban, South Africa, and
Danielle Talbot
School of Strategy and Leadership, Coventry University Business School,
Coventry, UK
Abstract
Purpose –A significant and increasing number of graduate recruits take up employment for specific
companies by virtue of their ethical reputation and profiles. As such, ethical fit has become an important
dimension of the attraction and retention of graduates. However, preconceived notions of a company’s ethical
orientation obtained through the media and initial recruitment exercises may be challenged during the
induction and socialization phases of organizational entry, such that people may find that the reputation is
just an external façade leading to disappointment and a reassessment of the employer. The paper aims to
discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach –The study’s essential focus is on building a conceptual ethical fit model
and to underline the need for further conceptual development in the area. The analysis of extant secondary
data and the methodology of serendipity were used.
Findings –The model’s conceptual cogency and practical utility for human resource management are
analyzed in the light of specific secondary data and specific propositions described.
Research limitations/implications –A major concern with concept ual models is empirical val idity
and practical utility which requires empir ical testing. However, this limitation ha s been mitigated by the
use of a serendipitous a pproach from a qualitative empiri cal study with a generalized perso n–organization
(P–O) focus.
Practical implications –Various practical imp lications of the model de scribed in the paper for HR
management are eviden t from empirical studies in the are a which have dealt with particular a spects of the
model. For example, Baue r et al. (1998) found that socialization effects employee turnover.And, Cable and
Parsons (2001) indicate that organizational socialization is critical in generating committed employees
whose values are congru ent with those of the organization. Sinc e committed employees are critical fo r the
success of the organiza tion, they suggest train ing programs for hiring mana gers and criteria in
performance apprais als that include the developm ent of employee value congr uence through specific
formal socializatio n tactics.
Originality/value –The paper contributes to the extant literature by building a dynamic
conceptual model with attendant testable pr opositions that expl ore the implications of employee
misalignment in pre-socialization anticipatory organizational ethical fit and post-socialization
organizational ethica l fit. More specifically, t he study contributes to the ext ant literature by consider ing
the socialization process in relation to ethical fit dynamics. It also considers from the point of view of
specific moral develo pment theory and changi ng perceptions of ethi cal climate that occur d uring
organizational socia lization. Serendipit ous material obtained from a qua litative study of P–O fit pu ts
flesh on the bones of the eff ects of the socialization process on ethical fit described by the paper’s
conceptual model while pr oviding circumstantial evide nce for the propositions and their pr actical utility for
HR management.
Keywords Qualitative, Organizational socialization, Serendipity, Ethical fit
Paper type Conceptual paper
Personnel Review
Vol. 48 No. 2, 2019
pp. 511-527
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0048-3486
DOI 10.1108/PR-11-2017-0347
Received 17 November 2017
Revised 26 March 2018
2 June 2018
Accepted 4 July 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm
511
Organizational
socialization
and ethical fit
Introduction
Before joining a new employer, many people have preconceived ideas of what the
organization stands for in terms of values, mission and ethical orientation. As they travel
through the application, selection and induction processes they become increasingly
exposed to the reality behind the external image. As they are exposed to this reality, their
ethical fit to their new employer is dynamically shaped. These processes are the focus of
this paper. Our primary contribution is the construction of a testable conceptual model
that develops propositions related to the dynamic nature of ethical fit during
organizational entry. This heuristic device will aid in the empirical analysis of this
important phenomenon that shapes newcomers’relationships with their employers. The
study aims to contribute to the extant literature by considering the socialization process
as a means of ethical fit dynamics at two points in time: pre-socialization anticipatory and
post-socialization organizational ethical fit. It also considers ethical fit from the point of
view of specific moral development theory and changing perceptions of ethical climate
brought about through the socialization process. Qualitative serendipitous material of the
effects of the socialization process on ethical fit is used to underpin the paper’s conceptual
contribution while providing circumstantial evidence for the propositions and their
practical utility for HR management.
The paper takes the following form. It begins with a four-section literature review that
establishes the field of interest which consists of a delineation of: organizational
socialization phases and forms, organization socialization theory, the effects of
organizational socialization on person–organization (P–O) values fit, and the importance
of P–O ethical fit and effects on Human Resource Management (HRM) work outcomes. This
is followed by a section that deals briefly with the serendipity methodology, used as an
empirical springboard with secondary data of the organizational socialization process to
build a heuristic which is described in detail in the section that follows a brief outline of the
findings of the study that provided the empirical data of the serendipity. The discussion,
which follows this section, presents specific testable postulates derived from the analysis
and model development and outlines limitations of the study. We conclude by discussing
practical implications for HR management that can be derived from the model and areas for
further research in this domain.
Literature review
Organizational socialization phases and forms
Over the past 20 years, organizational socialization has advanced to center stage in HRM
(Antonacopoulou and Güttel, 2010; Cable and Parsons, 2001; Tuttle, 2002), and management
research (Anderson et al., 2004; Edwards and Billsberry, 2010; Grusec and Hastings, 2014;
Noe et al., 2014; Ostroff and Kozlowski, 1992). Organizational socialization is “the process by
which an individual comes to appreciate the values, abilities, expected behaviours, and
social knowledge essential for assuming an organizational role and for participating as an
organizational member”(Louis, 1980, pp. 229-230). A closely related concept is staff
induction, which is “any arrangement made to familiarize the new employee with the
organization, safety rules, general conditions of employment, and the work of the section or
department in which they are employed”(Skeats, 1991, p. 16). Induction is a formal
organizationally driven sub-process within the broader and longer socialization processes,
and commonly one of the first socialization processes a newcomer encounters on entry into
their new employer. Herriot (1992, 1993) argues that organizational socialization does not
begin when the newcomer begins work, but during the recruitment and selection
process itself when applicants are keenly attentive to any cues that might signal what
working in the organization will be like (Billsberry and Gilbert, 2007; Chatman, 1989).
Organizational socialization and staff induction are closely allied concepts, with one
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