Are You Welcome ?

Employees joining new organizations often go through the situation of anxiety, dilemma and uncertainty at the time of joining new organizations. One of the key role of HR is to ensure that all new employees have a hassle free and well planned on-boarding model to make employees feel they are welcome in the new organizations.

Susan Zeidman in her article “On-Boarding: Helping New Executives Get It Right” gives out some valuable guidelines for planning an effective on –boarding programs.

Some organizations take a “sink or swim” attitude toward new hires. This happens when corporations believe they’ve hired seasoned professionals with excellent résumés. It’s a “let’s wait and see what they do” approach. That attitude doesn’t ensure success. Instead of letting new executives discover on their own what is expected, it would be beneficial to provide mutually agreed-upon goals.

Getting StartedNot all executives, intuitively knowing how to integrate into a new work environment. However, organizations can make it much easier for executives to on-board if they follow a three-step process:

Clearly state expectations.

Suggest what is important to learn and from whom to learn it.
Ask what processes, procedures and changes the executive intends to implement at the end of three months, six months and one year.

Expectations

First, it is helpful for senior management to understand why this executive was selected for this particular position and what he or she is expected to do right away. That sounds simple, but it is far more complex than it appears. A new executive in an organization needs to know if the business is a growing one, a turnaround or a “maintain as is” situation. Matching the right executive with the right business situation is a good start.

The Learning Curve

Learning can be a good barometer of an executive’s success, and it can dramatically shorten the on-boarding process. What are the critical learning needs for this executive? Does the organization operate in a Six Sigma environment? Does the organization have a flat structure? Is it very collaborative? The organization can direct its new executives to learn in an efficient way by clearly stating the priorities and by asking how they intend to structure their learning.

Building a Sound Learning Process

The organization needs to provide the new executive with a realistic picture of the division, so the executive can develop the best learning plan right from the start.Organizations can structure the amount of new information a new executive should digest by dividing it up into three phases, much like building a house: start with a foundation, create the exterior walls and then finish with the interior.

Building up or strengthening the learning phases creates satisfaction for both the organization and the new executive. It also demonstrates to the new executive that there is an expectation that learning takes time. At the end of each phase, both the organization and the executive can debrief, reassess and modify expectations for the next phase. This flexibility allows the organization to coach the executive to success.

Processes and Procedures

What results do you expect to realize when implementing this new process?
How will this process affect your staff?
What risks or other considerations are involved in the new process?
What unintended consequences could result from the new process?
How will you ensure the process will be successful?

These questions uncovered assumptions and paved the way for a successful result. It also allowed the manager to coach Carol through an early win as a new executive.