ABSTRACT
Chapter overview Orientation may be viewed as the final step in the recruitment and selection process, or as the first phase in a staff member or volunteer’s involvement in an organization. Either way, it is a critical part
chapter examines how orientation can make a difference to a newcomer’s successful transition to a new job, role, and workgroup, and to the organization as a whole. It is important to recognize that there are many different types of newcomers, from novices in the workforce to veterans in the industry. Yet all experience the three basic stages of socialization to an organization which coincide with pre-entry, entry, and adaptation to the organization. For those with previous experience, orientation is more of a process of resocialization from one organizational environment to another. Orientation, in the form of resocialization, must also occur when a current staff member or volunteer within an organization moves to a new position, perhaps with a new workgroup, a new workplace, or new responsibilities.
