Newcomer Socialization: Expectations of Generations X and Y for Individualization

Roselynn S. Dow, Ph.D

SUNY Empire State College

New York, USA

Email: Roselynn.Dow@esc.edu

Stream: Scholarly Practitioner

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Abstract

This presents the results of interviews of new faculty hires from generations X and Y about their socialization to the organization, speed of acquiring information needed to perform successfully, and perceived opportunity for professional development. A case study first year experiences of ten newly hired tenure track faculty in a public institution finds that shared work values, frequent and personal feedback from mentors, and opportunity for advancement is critical for job satisfaction and retention of members of these generations. Human resource implications include understanding how life experiences contribute to generational differences which should be identified and incorporated into socialization planning. Limitations are small sample and application to non-academic workplace.

Keywords: Generation X and Y, socialization, mentoring, feedback

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Introduction

This paper describes a case study of the success of socialization of new hires to an

institution of higher education and level of success of adaptation to organizational

culture. The new hires were interviewed at the end of their first year of employment. The

new hires, all full- time tenure track faculty, had been members of a cohort subject to a

non-individualized socialization program involving an initial four day meeting and four

subsequent face-to-face and online sessions that continued the socialization process.

The new hires were all either members of Generation X (described as those born

1965-1980) or Y (described as those being born 1980-2000 ) who had been hired to

teach in either undergraduate or graduate programs at a public institution of higher

education. While all underwent identical (non-program and non-discipline focused)

socialization, they also received more specific socialization in their special areas at other

times. At the end of the first year, they were asked to share their observations of the

formal socialization process by engaging in interviews during which they would be able

to evaluate the utility of the process for their own professional development.

The research considers their responses from several perspectives: the attitudes of

different generations towards work values and organizational culture; their differing

perceptions of how socialization should occur; person-organization fit, and the

application of mentoring theory to socialization of professionals. The implications of this

research for HR suggest that socialization processes, including training and mentoring

opportunity, particularly for professionals, should adjust for generational differences,

should involve some individualized socialization and should offer opportunity for mentor

relationships.

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Socialization is defined by Schein (1968) as the process which helps newcomers

share in the organization’s values, beliefs and practices by establishing goals, modeling

desired behavior and by clearly outlining responsibilities for newcomers. During the

period of socialization for newly hired college professors, the organization does not fully

benefit from the investment it makes in them until they have acquired enough experience

and the knowledge necessary to be efficient and successful professors and mentors to

their students. When new professors are fully socialized, they must be retained so that the

institution continues to reap the benefits of its investment in recruitment and selection

and in its socialization program. Professors who have successfully progressed through a

socialization program will eventually expect to be promoted, receive higher salaries, and

share in other positive feedback and rewards such as tenure. When they successfully

progress through a socialization program, they will also experience a sense of job

satisfaction which is a strong motivator to stay with the institution. Thus, when the

socialization program is successful, both the institution and its new faculty are likely to

benefit.

This process of socialization is multi-layered: learning organizational structure,

recognizing and adapting to culture, and sharing values, attitudes and behaviors. The

faculty must also be motivated to learn and should have access to mentors who provide

assistance in the learning process.

The socialization of new employees is a process that incorporates understanding

of organizational structure, culture, motivation and learning, values and expectations, and

opportunity for mentoring. Other areas that also impact socialization processes are

human resource management policies that deal with recruitment and selection and

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training. The organization invests time, money, and effort into socializing new faculty

and they must wait several years before they earn a return on that investment because

new faculty are not ready to apply their expertise until they have completed training in

the specific practices of the college. In some cases, it becomes evident that either the

new professor or the college is not satisfied with the relationship, a decision must be

made to sever the relationship rather than prolong a bad fit. Regardless of which party

makes the decision first, the college’s investment has not provided the return that was

expected, especially if the faculty member leaves. The young faculty member who was

not satisfied in his job also experiences loss: disappointment, diminished self-esteem,

anger, and anxiety about finding new employment. Thus, organizations must carefully

plan their socialization practices to minimize attrition and to maximize the investment in

recruitment, selection, and training for both the organization and for the new professors.

Low attrition rates serve to enhance the reputation of the organization and attract well-

qualified applicants in the future.

Background of the Study

The study involved faculty newly hired by a four-year college that expects not

only subject area expertise and robust research interests from its faculty, but also

introduces them to, and expects them to master, a progressive approach to education that

is highly invested in the practice of mentoring students. When interviewed for a position

at this college, the prospective faculty member learns that s/he is expected to teach in a

variety of delivery modes that may include one-on-one individualized studies, classroom

groups, and blended or online courses. For most, those expectations are normal and ones

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with which they have had some experience, at least while in graduate school, and perhaps

in post-graduate employment.

The college recruitment literature, as well as interview conversations, mentions

the mentoring role all faculty engage in, so prospective hires are aware this practice is a

normal part of the faculty responsibility; however, many are hired who have had little or

no experience with mentoring. While they might be familiar with the role of a faculty

advisor, a person who ensures that a student is registering for an approved course leading

to completion of specific degree requirements, and may have themselves been mentored

by their graduate school faculty advisor or dissertation committee chair, they usually

have not been a mentor except in a limited, short term capacity.

After these people are hired, they participate in an initial group orientation of four

days that includes general information about college mission, core values, structure,

personnel, programs, and student advisement activities. Orientation is subsequently

supplemented with four workshops spaced between October and April that focus on

presenting the training specifically addressing teaching and mentoring. After participating

in these meetings, the new hires realize that success in teaching requires excellent time

management skills because of the variety of delivery modes and studies they must offer.

They also begin to ask questions about how to master mentoring. At least one of the

orientation workshops is devoted to helping them acquire a broad understanding of the

mentoring concept and some exposure to best practices designed to help them work with

students successfully.

In addition to providing information on the college’s administrative policies and

practices, the orientation provides opportunity to formally meet with established faculty

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members from across the college who help the new faculty become acquainted with the

college culture. This entire socialization experience extends over a period of six months.

The new hires are also partnered with experienced faculty in their own departments who

become advisors, or buddies, and who have agreed to mentor the new hires.

Problem

In their first year of employment, the new faculty members face several

challenges: finding an efficient way to manage teaching and mentoring loads, finding

time to continue their research interests, and adapting to the culture of a college founded

on principles and values which are sustained by the senior faculty. The senior faculty,

mostly Baby Boomers (described as those born from 1945-1964,) are the keepers of the

original culture and are in charge of designing and implementing the socialization process

for new faculty. New faculty are face a great deal of adjustment and learning in the first

year; expectations are high that they adjust quickly and function efficiently in developing

their teaching skills, producing scholarship, acquiring mentoring skills and effectively

applying those skills to their interactions with students. Finally, they must adjust to an

organizational culture developed and protected by a faculty that is older, tenured, and

steeped in college culture.

This case study examines the evaluations of newly hired faculty from Generations

X and Y about the college socialization program and its goals of introducing them

successfully to its teaching models, research expectations, and organizational culture.

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Literature Review

Generational Differences in Work Values

Generational differences in the workplace (namely Generation Y, Generation X

and the Baby Boomer Generation) are significant to the planning of recruitment and

socialization, levels of shared work values (standards by which workers decide what

attitudes and behaviors are acceptable and congruent with the organizational culture)

between newcomers and incumbents, good person-organization fit, and individualized

needs of newly hired for mentoring and professional development. The results of well

informed socialization programs and shared work values is increased job satisfaction,

engagement, and intention to stay. These are presented through the examination of a

socialization program for newly hired college professors

In today’s workplace it is not unusual for at least three different generations to be

working side by side. While Baby Boomers (birth dates from 1945-1964) increasingly

defer retirement because of financial reasons or because they simply enjoy being

productive, they are joined by younger workers (Generation X born 1965-1980 and

Generation Y born 1981-2000) who expect to move upward in their organizations and

take over the jobs Baby Boomers now hold. Other than the dates of birth, generations are

also identified by the events and influences that they experienced in their formative years

(Crumpacker and Crumpacker, 2007). Baby Boomers grew up after WWII, enjoyed

prosperity, higher levels of education than previous generations, experienced civil rights

marches, greater awareness of women’s rights, divorce, explosion of television

communication, Woodstock and Watergate, and the contentious Viet Nam War (Becton,

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Walker and Jones-Farmer,2014). The work values they hold include desire for

consensus, hard work, loyalty to their organization, and an expectation that they would

stay with their organization for most of their work life. Generation X, a much smaller

generation, and the first latchkey kids since both their parents were working, experienced

economic downtown, upheaval in domestic and foreign politics such as the fall of the

Soviet Union, and booms in technology. Their educations include graduate degrees and

they are known to be self-reliant, individualistic, eager to move-up quickly, and lacking

in loyalty to the organization (Smola & Sutton, 2002). Generation Y, the Millenials, have

had cell phones, computers and the Internet all their lives; they experienced corporate

ethics scandals such as Enron,; regularly engage in multitasking, expect to be involved in

continuous education, come into the workplace in debt with student loans, have a strong

desire to move up the career ladder quickly, and are willing to work hard as long as they

can maintain a work-life balance which upholds their commitment to family and personal

happiness.

Shared work values among X and Y generations include wanting status and

money and desiring greater leisure time. They do not expect to make their friends at

work, unlike Baby Boomers, but communicate with friends and family via technology

and social media instead (Twenge et al, 2010).

Socialization

The key to successful socialization and resultant acceptable return on investment

is found in shared work values. In cases where congruence exists between a new

employee’s personal values and those of the organizational culture, the result is higher

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commitment to desired performance and increased length of stay in the organization

(Chatman and Barsade, 1995).

Socialization studies in the 1990’s centered on four basic theories; Van Maanen

and Schein’ six dimensions, social cognitive theory and self-efficacy theory (proposing

that behavior, cognitive and personal factors, and environmental events interact and

influence each other), sense-making theory (that newcomers attempt to make sense of the

surprises they encounter during socialization) and uncertainty reduction theory

(uncertainty decreases and satisfaction increases as information and feedback are offered

from role models through observation of the newcomer.)

Van Maanen (1978) proposed six paired dimensions of socialization based on

three assumptions: people in transition experience tension, persons crossing boundaries

need clues on how to make sense of the situation, and the stability and productivity of the

organization depend on the way new people perform. The paired dimensions addressed

in this case study are collective socialization vs. individual, and formal vs. informal.

Formal, traditional socialization segregates the newcomers from the rest of the

organization during training and is more successful than the informal method in preparing

a person for a specific role because clues are given to help define the role. Informal

processes can be put in place after the formal socialization is complete and may allow the

person to choose the socialization agent based on need and the agent’s status. Since

younger workers prefer to have individualized training and want to advance quickly, the

traditional socialization process does not appeal to them.

Saks and Ashforth (1997) described socialization goals from the perspective of

management: the acquisition of information, reduction of anxiety, role clarity and fit,

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stronger culture, higher morale, cohesion, and stability for the organization and lower

stress, lower absenteeism and turnover, higher job satisfaction, organizational

commitment, organizational citizenship behavior and performance for the individual.

Both Van Maanen and Schien’s and Saks and Ashforth’s theories are useful in analyzing

socialization processes, but are limited by the one-sidedness of their approaches which

fail to consider the newcomer’s expectations and goals.

Jones (1986) found, based on his study of MBA students that self-efficacy and

response to what he called “institutionalized” socialization tactics, that this would result

in a role orientation that was custodial, referring to a disposition to be committed to and

tprotect the organization. Jones believed that individualized tactics (individual, informal,

random, variable, disjunctive, and divestiture) were more likely to result in a role

orientation that was innovative.

Looking at self-efficacy, defined by Bandura (1977) as when a person

“successfully executes the behavior required to produce the outcome,” Jones found that

people with high self efficacy will be more likely to define situations themselves and take

an innovative role, as opposed to those with low self efficacy who will be more likely to

fall into custodial roles. A person with high self-efficacy experiences reduces anxiety and

agitation because he knows how to use control systems formulated through past

experiences (Bandura, 2003). Bandura also noted that organizations must also be

proactive in order to survive in a rapidly changing world of globalization. Thus, younger

workers, in response both to the turbulent events they have experienced and the modern

economy, learn they should be proactive to ensure success in the workplace. Louis (1980)

looked at socialization from the newcomer’s perspective, focusing on the expectations the

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newcomer anticipates before entering the organization or “encounter” stage and shock or

surprise when anticipated expectations are unmet. Schein (1964) called these “upending

experiences”. During that stage of sense-making which is usually the first six to ten

months of employment, the newcomer learns his or her new role by acquiring a

knowledge base, becoming aware of organizational strategy and understanding its

mission. The newcomer is required to change to fit the new setting by appreciating a new

culture and learning the right behaviors to avoid being fired.

Socialization Behaviors and Traits

The newcomer, motivated by the need to reduce uncertainty, must engage in

proactive behavior : information seeking, including asking direct and indirect questions,

seeking feedback from others, testing limits, observing and in surveillance (Saks and

Ashforth, 1997; Simpson, 1967)). Ostroff and Kozlowski (1993), looked at how

newcomers with a proactive disposition used the process of information seeking with co-

workers, supervisors and mentors to reduce uncertainty about their new jobs and elicited

feedback to help make sense about how they were perceived to be performing in their

roles. A newcomer tries to understand if and how the work (task) is meaningful and

valuable to the organization (Wrzesniewski, Dutton and Debebe, 2003). Kim, Cable and

Kim (2005) and Gruman, Saks, and Zweig (2006) also found that proactivity and positive

framing, or a positive outlook, towards one’s job and organization results in the highest

person-organization fit, organizational commitment, and intent to remain with the

organization.

Attraction theory states that human beings select their own organizations in

accordance with the attributes they perceive exist. The second part of the Attraction-

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Selection-Attrition model, selection, refers to the selection process the organization has in

place to hire people who share the firm’s attributes (Schneider et al.1995). The individual

selects a work environment because it is compatible with his or her self-image and rejects

environments that are not compatible (Owens and Schoenfeldt, 1979). When a person

finds he or she does not fit into an environment, the process of attraction-selection-

attrition will cause the individual to leave that environment (Wanous, 1980).

Interactionist Theories

Interactionist theory, the theory of person-organization fit, suggests that

socialization cannot be one dimensional and non-adaptable. Diener, Larsen and Emmons

(1964) found that interactionism is compatible with trait theory because of how

personality factors determine the choice people make about organizational affiliation.

Personality also is related to how people respond after joining the organization. While the

organization will initially attract the people whose attributes most closely align with those

of the organization’s founder, over time, this can lead to a homogeneous culture which

limits the behavior of the organization and does not provide flexibility in responding to a

changing external environment. Consequently, without the ability to make appropriate

responses, an organization may not be able to survive. Different types of people must

enter the organization for it to be responsive and avoid failure. The individual’s

personality interacts with the organizational climate and effects the newcomer’s

perception of job satisfaction and of his or her performance (Downey, Hellriegel and

Slocum, 1975). The degree of congruence a newcomer experiences with the

organizational climate will determine whether the individual believes a match, or good

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fit, exists, or whether his or her personality characteristics would be a better match

elsewhere.

Pervin (1968) looked at the organization as a system which would experience less stress

and higher performance when the individual’s personality matches with the needs of the

environment. Greater stress would occur in cases of a lack of fit. Prior learning and past

outcomes become a permanent part of the individual’s response history and will affect

the way he or she makes sense of the new context. Feedback from supervisors and peers

is important for helping the newcomer to appropriately interpret new context; the absence

of feedback, which might occur if supervisors are unaware of confusion or anxiety among

newcomers, forces the newcomer to rely on historical behaviors. Giving feedback and

rewards will allow the organization to provide the newcomer with a clear message about

appropriate behavior and performance should begin to learn who are the important

players in the organization and develop relationships with them.

Mentors and Reverse Mentors

Relationship building is an ongoing process which must be a priority at all stages

of newcomer’s career. One of those critical relationships should be with a mentor who

can help reduce ambiguity and stress by giving the newcomer feedback about career

timelines and desired assignments. Establishing relationships with others, particularly

with a mentor, is one form of proactivity in which the newcomer should be engaged

(Griffin, Colella and Goparaju, 2000). Values congruence, having a mentor, and

socializing with mentors are supportive of job satisfaction and intention to stay

(Chatman, 1991; Enz,1998).

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The mentor, however, provides very specific and critical roles in the life of a

newcomer. Kram (1983) noted that the mentoring relationship changes over time and is

modified by the stage ( initiation, cultivation, separation, and redefinition) of career of the

person mentored. Basing their work on Kram’s findngs, Ostroff and Kozlowski (1993)

described the mentor role as instrumental in guiding the newcomer through those

domains of task, role, and group, especially in an impersonal way in the early stages of

the relationship. They found that newcomers who were mentored were more quickly

sensitized to power and politics; the more intense the mentoring relationship, the greater

the degree of the newcomer’s learning and self-confidence.

The forced nature of having an assigned mentor may serve a proscribed initiation

goal; however, it may also decrease the mentor’s motivation to help beyond the

proscribed program. Informal mentorships, where mentors select protégées with whom

they identify and develop more authentic relationships, are more likely to provide

psychosocial guidance and result in higher levels of career success and satisfaction

(Chao, Walz, and Gardner, 1992). When the protege receives psychosocial support as

well as career-related support from the mentor, the likely result is a perception that his or

her interests are being protected. Batt and Katz (2004) found that mentoring should go

further than task related feedback to include evaluation of the protégé’s overall

groups and acquire a supportive mentor who will recognize the newcomer’s lack of

political understanding and opportunity for networking. Benishek et al. (2004), looking

at existing models of mentoring from a multicultural feminist perspective, argued that,

since individuals have a desire to be mentored by those who are similar to them, it is

more difficult for women, women of color, ethnically diverse people, and different social

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classes to find mentors from similar backgrounds. If they do find a suitably similar

mentor, it is likely that the mentor may be less effective in mentoring because he or she

has less status and power in the organization than White male counterparts. Traditional

mentoring is paternalistic and not responsive to the needs of marginalized sectors,

particularly to those who choose a non-linear career path. An approach to mentoring that

recognizes values and explores differences supports successful professional development

of marginalized persons.

A recent development in the workplace is reverse mentoring, where a junior

employee mentors the senior worker in areas where a younger worker is the expert such

as technological skills, which has been practiced mostly by global high-tech companies

(Chen, 2013). Chen concluded that Generation X and Yer’s were valued for ability to

find information, access media, are innovative, and could collaborate with peers in a team

setting. Reverse mentoring, while an efficient way to communicate certain skills, also

highlights younger workers’ reluctance to trust or respect older workers who are not as

skilled.

Research Questions

This paper presents findings of a case study designed to assess how effectively

new faculty from Generations X and Y become socialized to responsibilities for teaching,

research, and mentoring after approximately six months of intermittent orientation and

mentoring from experienced faculty. The questions which guided the study were:

Would participation in all orientation meetings help new faculty members learn their job

faster; if new faculty member did not find the information included in the orientation

clear and useful, what would the faculty member prefer to have in an orientation

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program; do the work values of faculty members from Generations X and Y differ from

the work values that constitute the organizational culture developed by the incumbent

faculty membership?

It was an expectation, or hypothesis, that (1) if faculty member participated in all or most

of the orientation workshops, s/he would adapt more quickly and have a greater sense of

comfort than a faculty member who did not participate in many of the workshops; (2) that

perceived clarity in the orientation materials and presentations (i.e. familiarity with

college policies and practices) would result in a heightened sense of belonging to the new

organization and; (3) new faculty would be able to determine how the orientation

program helped them identify the shared work values and culture of their new

organization and (4) the work values of the new faculty and incumbent faculty would be

similar despite age differences.

Significance to Human Resource Development

Understanding the values and attitudes of employees is a powerful tool for

developing strategies and training in socialization that improve organizational

commitment. Organizations also seek to increase job satisfaction, intention to stay, and

retention of loyal employees; therefore, it is important to know what your new employees

value at work, how they learn about the values and attitudes that constitute your

organizational culture, and how generational differences in work values manifest

themselves in the workplace.

Research Design

Newly hired faculty members at a public four-year college began their first

academic year by attending a four-day orientation program which served as the beginning

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of their socialization program. Of the group of twenty-two new hires, ten were members

of either Generation X or Generation Y and they became the sample for this case study.

After four additional orientation workshops had been presented over a period of six

months and the formal orientation program had ended, these ten faculty members were

asked to consent to being interviewed about their perceptions of the efficacy of their

orientation, their observations of how well they were adapting to their teaching and

mentoring responsibilities as a result of orientation, the level of success they had

experienced with assimilating into the college culture and values, including mentoring

practice.

Each semi-structured interview was preceded by a written request for each

participant to provide, via email, the dates of the socialization workshops they attended, a

list of the people (other than the group presenting the orientation workshops) from whom

they had received any other orientations, advice, or assistance in learning the ropes such

as a dean, associate dean, department chair, or faculty peers, and the number of times

they had solicited assistance from each source during the first year of employment.

Three interviews were conducted in a neutral setting such as a coffee shop or

library because those faculty members did not feel comfortable meeting in a college

office. They said they felt as though their supervisor (either a department chair or

program chair) might not approve of their discussing their experiences with the

researcher. Even though a formal request to conduct interviews had been submitted and

permission had been granted by the college IRB committee for this project, some

participants preferred to meet off campus. Seven other interviews were conducted in the

college offices of each remaining faculty member. Regardless of setting, each interview

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lasted at least one hour to one and a half hours. Two days prior to the actual interview,

each participant was asked via email to spend time in personal reflection about his/her

first year experiences in the college in preparation for the interview. This time was

necessary because of the complexity of their work and the number of topics to cover.

Responses were ultimately examined for reference to: satisfaction or dissatisfaction with

orientation content, pace of orientation, with buddy mentor(s), with fit with the college

and with shared values, and with opportunity to advance career through mentoring.

Interview Questions:

1.When you were hired, were you informed of planned orientation or training

opportunities?

2.Who or what was the source of notification of the planned orientation?

3. Were you told that attendance was mandatory?

4.You said that you attended orientation workshops on _____(topic/date).How complete

was that information, looking back, and how did it contribute to your successful

performance or management of_____.

5.What information or training was missing, in your opinion, that would have made your

first year easier?

6.Other than those formal orientation workshops, what further training have you been

given that has helped you acclimate to the new environment? Discuss who provided the

training and how you were introduced to this person.

7.Have you actively sought out others to help you learn the ropes here? Who, How

often?

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8.Were you formally assigned a buddy mentor? By whom? How often have you

communicated with this person and what topic(s) were the focus of the conversation(s)?

What has been the value of this relationship?

9. Have you acquired a mentor on your own? How did you meet? What has been the

value of this relationship?

10.What are the values you have perceived that employees most admired and encourage

at this college? Which ones do you share?

11.Do you think this place is a good fit for you? Explain why or why not?

12.What skills, practices, attitudes or values do you possess that you think would be

valuable to share with your colleagues?

13.What other resources or orientation activities would you have liked to receive that

would have helped you move forward in your career?

14.Open-for interviewee to discuss anything not covered.

Results

Interview responses revealed several common categories: satisfaction or lack of

satisfaction with orientation content and format and timing of the orientation workshops

in relation to the academic year; satisfaction or lack of satisfaction with buddy mentor

system; new faculty perception of their degree of fit with the college work values; and

opportunity to advance one’s career.

In the category of satisfaction/lack of satisfaction with orientation content and

format respondents agreed (7 out of 10) that the orientation had been timed too late;

many of the new faculty had received notice of appointment by July and began taking on

some responsibilities as early as August, one month before the scheduled initial

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orientation. Since they were attending an orientation that coincided with the start of

September classes, they felt this attendance was time taken away from their crucial first

days of contact with students and semester planning. Some criticisms were that “ …we

could have read much of this information in powerpoint online -on our own…,” “why

waste our time,” and “…too busy with start up of class….” Other suggestions were that

the information provided was not what they were looking for at that time; for example:

“…did not provide program specific information…” or that the orientation “…should

have a focus and let us have a concrete takeaway…” All respondents noted that the

amount of information presented was difficult to process, saying “…it was draining,

information overload…” or “…doesn’t make my job easier…” or the suggestion “…they

should give out the information when you need it, not all at once.” Other criticisms for

content indicated new faculty wanted more opportunity to meet older, noteworthy

scholars or leaders among the faculty so they could begin developing a network and learn

what it takes to be successful in the organization. All new faculty agreed that the

orientation failed to place any priority on student success, giving value to students, or

about how to create challenging and exciting activities for students.

Responding to questions about their formally assigned mentors and informally

acquired mentors, new faculty acknowledged that they needed definitive answers to their

questions instead of the long, thoughtful responses they often received which offered

many different potential ways to approach a problem. One mentor had advised “…take

your time learning how to adapt here; listen and learn.” Two new faculty said they

weren’t sure they could trust the mentors they had been assigned; other trust issues were

mentioned by four other new faculty such as not respecting the mentor because of

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perceived differences in values and biases; one said that her mentor was petty and

unhelpful. All new faculty said that they wanted a mentor who “…should coach you so

you can get ahead…” or “…could help build your social links…” Five of the new

mentors indicated that they bypassed working with their assigned mentors and “…found

other people who could help me.”

When analyzing perceived person-organization fit, positive threads were evident:

acknowledgement that the college was interesting or “ …a unique place..” and that “…

I’m respected for my work.” One new faculty stated, “ I have freedom to use my talents

to create new courses and student experiences.” Another said she was encouraged by

peers to develop community contacts and to attend and present at conferences. Although

new mentors criticized the orientation because it did not provide enough focus on student

service and student achievement, the new mentors universally expressed strong desire to

use technology, current pedagogy, and frequent contact with students to provide value to

students. However, they cited reasons that they believed hindered those efforts on the

students’ behalf and also hindered their desire to continue with professional growth.

Responses were “…I came from a research school, but there is no time for that here.,.” or

“I have to spend lots of time in meetings.” and “..I am bogged down with non-teaching

activities.” Five faculty noted that they didn’t understand why there wasn’t a robust

professional development program in place that would help them strike a good balance

between teaching, mentoring, and scholarship. They concluded that older faculty spent

too much time “…talking about teaching and mentoring…” and that they are “…not up

on latest technology.” One faculty described a two -hour committee meeting that was

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solely concerned with answering one senior faculty member’s question about “… should

she allow her student to incorporate a powerpoint in her final thesis presentation.”

Responses to questioning about how they planned to advance in their careers at

the college, faculty all responded that lack of time was a hindrance. Although

encouraged to present their research at conferences and to pursue innovative teaching,

faculty said they were not sure how to balance all their duties. One comment, echoed in

the section on their mentors, was that “…it is important to develop a network with older

faculty who have been successful at publishing.” This was also noted in their observation

of what was lacking in the content of orientation workshops.

Discussion

Responses from all the participants revealed that they observed differences

between their own work values and those of older faculty in respect to loyalty to the

organization and intention to stay; they had experienced frustration with a socialization

program that did not meet their individual needs; they believed that they shared with

older faculty common attitudes towards the value of their work; and they desired a better

work-life balance.

Holding true to the identified generational differences cited in this paper,

Generation X and Y new faculty expressed need to have socialization customized to their

own needs for information and timing. They did not want to spend time in a large group

for a formal socialization, although they did agree that it was useful to meet the rest of

their cohort and older members of the college. However, they wanted only to meet

influential or important older members so they could develop their networks and learn

useful tips for advancing in the organization.

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The two generations complained about having to complete orientation at a slow

pace and at the beginning of the academic year when they were very busy. They would

prefer to have these orientation services available to them when they thought they needed

the information, and preferably via electronic media. Their responses exemplify the

acknowledged generational facility with technology, ability to multi-task, and need to

move quickly through their fundamental professional development.

They also clearly agreed that the organization should value them and their

contributions. They would create new courses or programs and use technology to

enhance their work with students, but those accomplishments should be noted and

rewarded in the earlier stages of their careers instead of further along and closer to

promotions or tenure. They have little patience for the attitude of the older generation

Baby Boomers to learn slowly, bide your time, and develop friendships at work. They

are social media savvy, and quick to assess the levels of technological skills of co-

workers. They are clearly proactive and unafraid; they will welcome new information, are

actively involved in professional development, research, and conferences; they expect to

innovate and to be rewarded for hard work. All respondents agreed that although they

sometimes had to put in long hours, they still wanted to have time for family and friends.

Many appreciated their mentors, but only if they had selected the mentor

themselves so that the chosen mentor could protect them and help them get ahead in the

college or get them noticed. Although they had collegial connections with formally

assigned mentors, they did not see them as being ultimately useful for their advancement.

In many cases, especially for new faculty in specialized graduate programs, they believed

they had the skills and expertise to take their program into new directions and bring the

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older faculty “up to speed” on modern teaching styles and modes of delivery. They knew

they could become mentors to their faculty early on in their careers, indicating strong

self-esteem and confidence.

Implications for Human Resource Development

Older workers are quick to dismiss the members of Generation X and Y as being entitled,

lazy, and uncommitted. A better approach is to see them as they see themselves: ready to

work hard, wanting meaningful work, wanting to improve quickly, wanting challenge,

needing to balance stress with a healthy life, needing to pay off debt. Recruitment should

include tools and interviews designed to assess values of the prospective hire as well as

clearly present the work values particular to the organization; talk to the candidates about

these specifics before selection (Cennamao and Gardner,2008) and honestly describe the

job and the organizational culture.

Keep group socialization and training to a minimum; develop individualized socialization

plans that incorporate technology such as webinars, online tutorials, powerpoints, and

consult the younger worker to revise these continually; encourage blogs and internal

websites for sharing experiences and learning; ask the new people what they think they

need to become more affiliated and engaged with the organization to counter their

generational impatience and mobility (Westerman and Yamamura,2007); find ways to

have older, influential workers meet informally with younger workers such as lunches,

after hours get-togethers, or outdoor volunteer activities that appeal to the younger

generations. Train older mentors how to effectively interact with Generation X and Y

with networking or advancement opportunities.

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To further assist in developing engaged, supervisors and mentors should give frequent,

personalized, and specific feedback; encourage two way communication about how to

flourish in the job; put new hires in charge of projects so they are challenged by what

they consider meaningful work; provide more autonomy and fewer orders (Lieber, 2010);

find ways for them to have some fun at work and allow them opportunity to suggest what

those are; continue to connect young and old with opportunity for reverse mentoring.

Finally, to respond to their need for better work-life balance, acknowledge there is stress

and anxiety for young workers feel stress and anxiety aboutlarge student loan debt and

perhaps family responsibilities by providing mental health care, day care, and flex time

schedules (Twenge,2008).

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