ENTRY SOCIALISATION STRATEGIES AT A SELECTED TERTIARYINSTITUTION IN ZIMBABWE

Abstract

This study seeks to explore the effectiveness of employee entry socialization
options that the organization avails to its new entrants. These options include but are
not limited to both formal and informal orientation programmes done individually or
collectively premised on fixed time schedules. The study also sought to investigate the
effectiveness of the bulk and infrequent people processing strategies obtaining at the
institution. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The
selected institution has a compliment of 400 teaching staff of which 230 are
probationers. Forty employees were quota sampled according to faculty from a total of
230 probationers , whilst 5 heads of departments (HODs), were purposively sampled
from a total of 18.The study found out that employees do not take formal orientation
workshops seriously as evidenced by sporadic attendances and that such workshops are
often mistimed. It was also concluded that the human resource department does not
have full control of the socialization of new entrants and that induction programmes are
done when they are long overdue; leaving new entrants to benefit much from informal
orientation. It was again established that no evaluations were made for the formal
induction programmes, and also that no follow -ups are made even by the HODs, who
themselves have no policy framework to refer to. It is recommended that orientation
workshops be done timeously, and that heads of departments be trained on how to do
induction. The university, through its human resources department is also encouraged
to come up with an induction policy guideline.