Emotional Experience in the Organization Socialization: Thinking Beyond Information Seeking

• In Event: So Far, So Good, Part 1: Organizational Communication Research Escalator

Abstract

To date, most literature about organization socialization has focused on employees’ attempt for uncertainty reduction through information-seeking in the socialization process. However, employees’ emotional experience, as well as the possible emotional support from supervisors and co-workers during socialization have not received sufficient attention. Although workplace emotionality is traditionally discouraged by occupational expectations, we need to acknowledge that emotions pervade in organizational life, particularly during the entry phase in which the combination of excitement, upset, and frustration may occur. Thus, the biased focus on the “rational” side of organization socialization—such as information seeking for uncertainty reduction—is not sufficient to study this complicated and rich process. With the purpose of expanding the current socialization literature, this project attempts to combine employees’ emotion with their communication behaviors to reduce uncertainty during socialization.

Authors

• Moyi Jia, Monmouth University

• Ran Ju, Ohio U