The Content Dimensions of the Organizational Socialization of Interns

Abstract

Generally, this study aimed to describe what interns learn in their organizational socialization at their placement. There were three organizations that participated in the study - Company A: Radio Broadcasting Company, Company B: Advertising Agency, and Company C: Airline. The following were the specific objectives of the study: 1. To know the level and the scope of interns' learning in performing required job tasks 2. To know the level and the scope of interns' perceptions of their work relationships with the established employees of the organization 3. To describe the level and the scope of interns' knowledge about the formal and informal relationships and power structures within the organization 4. To know the level and the degree of interns' proficiency in acquiring the profession's technical language, as well as, acronyms, slang, and jargon that are unique to the organization 5. To determine the level and the extent of interns' understanding and appreciation of the rules or principles that the organization upholds 6. To determine the level and the extent of interns' knowledge and appreciation of the organization's background, traditions, customs, myths, and rituals. in order to achieve these objectives a descriptive design was utilized by employing self-report techniques. A total of 43 interns (10 for Company A, 10 for Company B, and 23 for Company C) were asked to answer a 34-item survey questionnaire that was developed by Chao, O'Leary-Kelly, Wolf, Klein and Gardner (1994). The questions in the survey questionnaire represented the six specific objectives in the form of organizational socialization content dimensions such as performance proficiency, people politics, language, organizational goals and values, and history respectively. The survey was designed with a five-point Likert scale. Its endpoints were strongly agree and strongly disagree. Interviews were also conducted with ten interns, three for Company A, two for Company B, and five for Conrioany C. Results showed that interns of Company A were socialized in the dimensions of performance proficiency, politics, language, and organizational goals and values in a "very satisfactory" level. On the other hand, they obtained a "satisfactory" level of socialization in the dimension of people and history. For Company B, results revealed that their interns reached a "very satisfactory" level of socialization in all of the six content dimensions. Results of Company C interns showed that they were socialized in a "very satisfactory level in the dimensions of performance proficiency, politics, and organizational goals and values. In the dimensions of people, language, and history, they were socialized in a "satisfactory" level. The data gathered were then analyzed using descriptive quantitative and qualitative means. These revealed the following conclusions: 1. The interns prioritized their tasks during their internship which made their scope of learning in performing required job tasks to reach a "very satisfactory" level of socialization. 2. The interns' perception of their work relationships with the established employees of the organization is in a "satisfactory" level. Though these employees became the sources of information about the work and the organization, the interns were limited to those who they directly worked with. 3. The interns considered their supervisors as the most influential people in the organization since they have the authority over their tasks and evaluation. This reflected to the interns' "very satisfactory" level of knowledge about the formal and informal relationships and power structures in the organization. 4. The proficiency of interns in acquiring the profession's technical language as well as, acronyms, slang, and jargon that are unique to the organization was in a "very satisfactory" level. The interns were familiar with the terms used in their profession. Those terms unique to the organization were learned during their internship. 5. The interns shared and appreciated the goals and values of the organizations. Their understanding and appreciation of the rules and principles that the organization upholds were in a "very satisfactory" level. 6. The interns only learned the organization's history through the orientation and coworkers' narrations. Their extent of knowledge and appreciation of the organization's background, traditions, customs, myths, and rituals were in a "satisfactory" level.