Organizational Socialization as Information Processing Activity

A Life History Analysis

Bibliographic Data

ID2498992
AuthorsGareth R Jones (corresponding author), Gareth Jones (0000-0002-1904-3735)
Year1983
Volume42
Issue4
Pages314-320
Publication date1983-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHuman Organization (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0018-7259 • E-ISSN: 1938-3517
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.17730/humo.42.4.q03m3x62548453v0
OpenAlexW2000393558
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited11

Organizational socialization is most commonly viewed as the process by which individuals internalize the norms and values of the culture surrounding them. Through socialization, external, situational constraints are transformed into subjectively held assumptions that shape the premises behind individual decision making and so condition the individual's response to the situation. However, the way in which individuals learn, or internalize, organizational or cultural values is still uncertain because the cognitive processes that mediate such learning are rarely explicated. The purpose of this paper is to offer an explanation of the way in which socialization occurs by analyzing the way in which one individual came to know the social world. Using the life history methodology, the autobiography of Helen Keller is analyzed in order to expose the nature of socialization. This analysis is informed by an information processing perspective based on semiological theory. It suggests that learning takes place through

Socialization · Sociology · Cultural Differences and Values · Innovation and Knowledge Management · Management and Organizational Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology