Going Through the Process of Organizational Assimilation as a Waitress
When I was a newcomer to the restaurant, I went through the assimilation. Organizational assimilation is when a newcomer gets integrated into an organization. There are three phases of the assimilation process: anticipatory socialization, organizational encounter and metamorphosis.
(An Introduction to Organizational Communication n.d)
The first stage of the assimilation process is the anticipatory or per-arrival stage. There are two different types of anticipatory socialization; vocational anticipatory socialization and organizational anticipatory socialization. I would consider that I did the opposite of what most people do.
Having eaten there many times, I unintentionally gathered information before joining the restaurant crew which would be considered organizational anticipatory socialization. All of the information was gathered before being considered an employee of the organization. My friends that worked there said they enjoyed it which came from sources that I trust.
Getting the job offer, I created a picture in my head of what I expected the job to be like which would be vocational anticipatory socialization. The information was gathered for years when my family would eat in one of the booths at the restaurant.
(Doucette, 2017)
The second stage of the assimilation process is the organizational encounter. In this stage, I had orientation and training; even though, training was easy since I already knew the menu. I did actively seek information on where things were located in the back of the restaurant.
There were a couple tactics used when I was considered a newcomer to the restaurant. There was fixed socialization, serial socialization and individual socialization. I was the only one that got hired and only had some many days to train with another shift manager.
During the second stage to reach the third stage, I got information in organization in different ways. I used overt questions to get most of the information needed to complete the task. Also, sometimes I observe the work by watching co-workers or use third party to get information when asking co-workers .
(R0WT4D 2018)
The third stage of the assimilation process is metamorphosis. It took a short amount of time to reach this stage. I met expectations that the company required by acting right and completing tasks. If the owners did not close it down, I would probably be working there today while going to college, because I would consider myself as a motivator.
A motivator is considered someone who has high loyalty and high congruence. I am loyal to the company, because I love eating there and want to keep it being a success. I believe that my values aligned with their values.
With every newcomer, everyone goes through the assimilation process. I went through it working at HomeTown Bistro when I was in high school at North Andrew.
Reference:
An Introduction to Organizational Communication [Stages of Organizational Socialization]. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2021, from https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/an-introduction-to-organizational-communication/s12-02-socializing.html
Doucette, E. (2017, June 12). [Brain working]. Retrieved March 13, 2021, from https://www.craftyourcontent.com/building-mind-palace/
Modaff, D. P., Butler, J. A., & DeWine, S. (2017). Organizational communication: Foundations, challenges, and misunderstandings (4th Ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
R0WT4D [Businessman introduce black newcomer to company team]. (2018, April 29). Retrieved March 13, 2021, from https://www.alamy.com/businessman-introduce-black-newcomer-to-company-team-image224302525.html
