Building Buying-in: Understanding the Anticipatory Socialization Phase of Workers in a Full-Life Organization

Abstract

This qualitative investigation explored the anticipatory socialization phase of volunteers in the missionary program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a full-life organization. Constant comparative analysis revealed that participants experienced three phases of organizational identification within their anticipatory socialization phase: exposure, exploration, and engagement. In the exposure phase, participants were presented with socializing messages that taught participants the rules, expectations, and values of the organization. In this phase, participants accepted the organizational identity largely without reservation. In the exploration phase, participants questioned their organizational identity and explored alternative, varied, and competing identities. In this phase, participants pushed their organizational identity to the periphery of their social identity. Finally, in the engagement phase, participants recentered their organizational identity and committed to their membership in the organization. Identifying these phases assists organizations and individuals in understanding and developing organizational engagement.