INDUCTION TRAINING AS SOCIALIZATION - CURRENT PRACTICE AND ATTITUDES TO EVALUATION IN BRITISH ORGANIZATIONS

The failure to integrate training and socialization research has repre sented a significant shortcoming in our understanding of the effective ness of organizational practices within these two domains. A survey of major British organizations was therefore undertaken to evaluate curr ent practices in induction training, programme evaluation, and personn el practitioners' attitudes to induction and socialization. A random s ample of 300 companies was surveyed using a questionnaire of induction practices for newcomers recently graduated from college, to which 100 responded. Descriptive results indicate that over 90% of organization s conduct formalized induction programmes in the early stages of newco mer socialization. Evaluation methods - trainee questionnaires, superv isory feedback, self-reports, peer reviews, and pre- and post-programm e tests - were found to be differentially popular. practitioners in or ganizations relying solely on questionnaires were found to be signific antly more satisfied with the programme and the induction process gene rally than those using pre- and post-course tests in addition to train ee questionnaires. Results of hierarchical multiple regressions indica ted that use of peer reviews and tests were related to company biograp hical variables and training attitudinal variables. Implications for g raduate socialization, induction training practices, and training eval uation are discussed.