Organizational Newcomers' Acquisition of Information from Peers

Abstract

Two studies focused on the particular processes by which organizational newcomers acquire information from their peers. Analysis of semistructured interviews with 30 nonsupervisory professional new hires at one organization and of questionnaires completed by 73 new hires from a variety of organizations and occupational groups indicated the types of information newcomers acquire from peers, the channels through which they acquire it, and the relationship between type and channel. Results also suggested that information acquisition is affected by type of organization entered, newcomer-peer work interactions, and newcomer occupation and experience level, but not by organizational size. Directions for future research on organizational entry processes and implications for practitioners are discussed.