Key Roadblocks for New Hire Cultural and Normative Alignment

TLDR: 33% of the new hires leave their new jobs within the first year, and a majority of them quote the reason as cultural and normative misalignment. This post examines the reasons and demonstrates how a customized version of "Better You!" mitigates avoidable turnover and associated costs for modern organizations.

When new employees join an organization, several significant roadblocks can hinder their ability to build cultural and normative alignment:

1. Implicit knowledge gaps: Organizations develop unique terminology, unwritten rules, and shared histories that aren't documented in any handbook. Research confirms that tacit knowledge acquisition is one of the most challenging aspects of organizational socialization, as this knowledge is inherently difficult to codify and transfer (Chao, 2012, Journal of Applied Psychology).

2. Misaligned expectations: According to Bauer's onboarding model, role clarity is crucial for the successful adjustment of newcomers. Bauer (2010) identified in the SHRM Foundation's Effective Practice Guidelines Series that when expectations differ between what was communicated during the hiring process and actual job requirements, integration suffers.

3. Relationship-building barriers: Rockmann and Pratt's (2015) research, "Contagious Offsite Work and the Lonely Office," published in the Academy of Management Discoveries, demonstrates how distributed work environments create challenges for workplace relationship development, with a particular impact on newcomers who need social connections to learn organizational norms.

4. Feedback hesitancy: Morrison's research on newcomer information seeking shows that concerns about impression management often prevent new employees from seeking crucial feedback (Morrison, 1993, Academy of Management Journal). New hires fear appearing incompetent if they ask too many questions.

5. Identity preservation vs. adaptation: Studies show that when organizations encourage authentic self-expression while adapting to new environments, employees experience better outcomes than when forced to conform entirely (Cable et al., 2013, Administrative Science Quarterly).

6. Navigating power dynamics: Research on informal networks demonstrates that newcomers who quickly understand informal influence structures adapt more successfully (Krackhardt, 1990, Administrative Science Quarterly).

7. Information overload: Cognitive load theory applied to organizational entry suggests that overwhelming new hires with information impairs their ability to process subtle cultural cues (Saks & Gruman, 2014, Journal of Organizational Behavior).

The PB JAM "Better You!" program, customized for new hires, addresses these challenges by creating structured opportunities for reflection and feedback that extend beyond standard onboarding, similar to what Gundry and Rousseau identified as effective practices for cultural assimilation (Gundry & Rousseau, 1994, Human Resource Management).

Launched after the first 90 days of the new hire, this version of "Better You!" begins with a feedback session led by the hiring manager and immediate stakeholders of the new hire. We identify the specific skill areas in which the new hire can benefit the most. The new hire and their manager also identify the stakeholders who need to confirm the progress of the new hire in the identified areas of soft skill development. Thus, the new hire is set up for success with precise alignment and expectations. Throughout the "Better You!", the new hire engages regularly with key stakeholders through tangible weekly actions, also known as SMART-Steps, and their feedback provides clarity to the new hire on whether these actions are in the right direction or not.

The first 90 days offer a valuable opportunity for the hiring manager and stakeholders to assess which areas the new hire needs to focus on the most. Over the 12 weeks of "Better You!", the new hire works through tangible actions to achieve normative and cultural alignment, all based on written feedback from key stakeholders. Thus, we virtually eliminate the possibility of the new hire leaving the position because of cultural or normative misalignment.