5.2 Testing the new professor onboarding framework
5.2.1 Cross-checking with theory
3-4 months
On top of all the existing orientations at 3-4 months some more items emerge which makes it the busiest time of the new professor onboarding. Innovation orientation is covered during this time. Support for building collaborations is provided early on for possible future research projects. There is an onboarding feedback questionnaire submitted to the new professor.
Most important of all this is the time, when the new professor will have a discussion with manager about own academic career and the goals for it for the next year and the next four years. Assistant professor lunch takes place usually around this time and that is a good possibility to network with other professors as well as discuss with the provost on the tenure track career system.
5-6 months
Based on the formal discussion on the academic career goals a memo will be prepared. Other new topics for this time period is a discussion with HR Manager on onboarding experiences so far and an orientation on legal issues.
7-12 months
During the rest of the first year many of the orientations continue such as the leadership onboarding and the teacher and supervisor onboarding. Manager continues to have monthly discussions with the new professor with varying topics. At seven months the onboarding buddy relationship ends formally, and all assistant professors are nominated a mentor for the next year to support them with their academic career development. A second assistant professor lunch is arranged during this period.
Within theories in uncertainty the cross-checking was done with uncertainty reduction theory by Berger and Calabrese (1975) and the seven axioms in it.
Figure 17 shows which tactics should be included in newcomer onboarding and which of the important levers they have effect on. According to Bauer (2010) when all four levers of successful onboarding are in place the onboarding is proactive and most likely to be
successful. The newly created professor onboarding framework is cross checked towards the framework in Figure 17. In the Tables 1,2 and 3 the items matching to the Figure 17 are presented.
Figure 17: Modification of the Inform-Welcome-Guide Framework for onboarding newcomers by Klein and Heuser (2008, 319) included with connections to four levers of successful onboarding by Bauer (2010, 6)
In newly created professor onboarding framework, in inform category the actions how the new professors are supported to learn and orientate themselves via communication are events such as orientation meetings and discussions with the professor’s stakeholders, meetings with own department’s staff and meetings with own school’s professors. Newcomer professors are also onboarded through predefined resources, which mean in the onboarding framework an onboarding guide on a website, a predefined onboarding plan, delivered preboarding material that includes eLearning and videos, and own initiative online learning at organization’s web
pages. Training is the third tool for informing new professor during their onboarding. The training actions include staff training learning solutions, new manager’s training program, new teacher and supervisor training program and training on Finnish culture and language.
Inform Action 1 Action 2 Action 3 Action 4
Communication Orientation meetings and discussions with professor’s stakeholders
Meetings with own
department staff
Meetings with own school professors
Resources Onboarding guide
Onboarding Plan Preboarding material including eLearnings and videos
Independent online learning and web pages
Training Staff Training learning solutions
New manager training program
New teacher and supervisor training program
Finnish culture and language training
Table 1: Inform-Welcome-Guide framework’s (Klein & Heuser 2008) Inform category items in professor onboarding framework
In the welcome category of the Inform-Welcome-Guide framework the professor onboarding framework provides meetings and socializing such as participating in professor targeted events, participating in newcomer events, informal coffees and lunches with other personnel, meetings with other professors, lecturers and senior faculty in the department and meetings with services contacts. There is also celebration for arrival such as a welcome call from manager before starting the job, a welcome meeting on first day and a welcome present consisting of brand products.
Welcome Action 1 Action 2 Action 3 Action 4 Action 5 Meeting
Socializing
Participating in professor events
Participating in newcomer events
Informal coffees and lunches
Meetings with other
professors, lecturers and senior faculty in the
department
Meetings with services contacts
Celebrating arrival
Welcome call before starting from manager
Welcome meeting on first day
Welcome present of brand products
Table 2: Inform-Welcome-Guide framework’s (Klein & Heuser 2008) Welcome category items in professor onboarding framework
The guide category of the Inform-Welcome-Guide framework means including a named guide for the newcomer (Table 3). This is covered with naming an onboarding buddy for each new professor for the first 6 months to help with early integration to new working community and support on initial routines and getting around. After the first 6 months there will be a mentor nominated for each assistant professor for the next year. Assistant professors are in the early stage of a professor’s career and this mentor helps them with topics concerning their
academic career.
Guide Action 1 Action 2 Action 3 Action 4
Named guide Onboarding Buddy
Mentor for Assistant Professors
Table 3: Inform-Welcome-Guide framework’s (Klein & Heuser 2008) Guide category items in professor onboarding framework
As a result of using the elements of Inform-Welcome-Guide framework, the four levers of successful onboarding fulfil as well. Self-efficacy, social integration, role clarity and
knowledge of culture are boosted during meetings and events, and while discussing with own manager, colleagues, and buddy. The four distinct levels of successful onboarding, also called
the Four C’s by Bauer (2010) (Figure 2) are used as the second cross-checking theory for the professor onboarding framework (Table 4).
In the compliance level the new employee should be taught basic legal and policy-related rules and regulations. The professor onboarding framework includes orientation on legal topics, on HR topics, especially employment related matters, researcher onboarding on procedures and policies concerning research such as funding opportunities and applications, and ethical way of conducting research. Other topics that fall into the compliance level are the finance orientation on policies, and meeting with the dean on decision-making policies.
In the clarification level means for ensuring that the new employee understands own job and expectations related to it are the monthly discussions with own manager, the career
development and goals discussion and the Tenure track career system orientation.
The culture level refers to delivering new employee sense of organizational norms, formal and informal. This is covered in the professor onboarding framework through meetings with service representatives, meetings with other faculty and meetings with the head of
department. Orientation discussions with these people will teach the norms of the organization.
The connection level includes building relationships and networking as well as understanding information networks. Tools for this level in professor onboarding framework are different events and meetings that are targeted to professors as well also to all of the university community’s members.
Four C’s Action 1 Action 2 Action 3 Action 4 Action 5
Connection Events Meetings Culture Meetings with
service
representatives
Meetings with other faculty
Meetings with head of department Clarification Monthly
discussions with manager
Career development
& goals discussion and memo
Tenure track career system orientation
Compliance Legal orientation
HR orientation on
employment matters
Researcher onboarding on
procedures
Finance orientation on policies
Meeting dean on decision- making policies Table 4: The four distinct levels of successful onboarding items in professor onboarding framework (Bauer 2010)
As explained in chapter 3.2 on theoretical background, the seven axioms by Berger and Calabrese (1975) are so called truths that affect initial communication situation between two people who meet for the first time, and the more the axioms appear to more uncertainty is lowered (Figure 5). These axioms are called verbal communication, nonverbal affiliative expressiveness, information seeking, intimacy level in communication, reciprocity, similarity, and liking. The themes and guidelines rising from them are considered here next (Table 5).
The ways of verbal communication to help lower uncertainty in a newcomer situation are meeting and discussing with new colleagues, meeting with own manager, meeting with service representatives, and participating in group-trainings. These all elements are included in the professor onboarding framework.
The nonverbal affiliative expressiveness that lowers the uncertainty of a newcomer takes place when naturally observing other people in events, in face to face meetings, in video meetings, and during lunches and coffees. The welcoming and supportive approach of staff in all of those decreases uncertainty of the newcomer.
With information seeking the uncertainty of a newcomer lowers as well. Asking questions from colleagues, services representatives, own manager, and buddy will lower the anxiety of the newcomer.
As the onboarding proceeds the intimacy level in communication rises but in the beginning it is preferable not to force discussion on topics of intimacy. In the beginning of the new professor’s onboarding common topics are being discussed rather than personal topics. The initial onboarding meetings aim at building networks. In the later meetings the discussions can go to more personal and deeper topics. Finding similarities in other professors helps lower anxiety and this is why it is beneficial to meet several professors to find at least one who is similar. Noticing dissimilarities in other people helps understand how to behave with them and lowers uncertainty.
Reciprocating smoothens the interaction between two people and that is why same level and amount of information as received should be given in initial interactions with people. Also trying not to dominate the discussion helps lower the uncertainty of the newcomer. These are good guidelines for the stakeholders and colleagues of the new professor to keep in mind.
Similarity attracts people and lowers uncertainty. On the contrary, dissimilarity increases uncertainty. In meetings newcomers come across people with alike attitudes and it lowers their uncertainty, alike when meeting people that share affect. In the long run newcomers will spend their time with those they are alike with as that makes them feel less uncertain.
If uncertainty levels are lower, it is easier to like the other person and vice versa. Thus, newcomers prefer to be with those who they like and with those who like them.
Axiom Action 1 Action 2 Action 3 Action 4
Verbal
Communication
Meetings and discussions with new colleagues
Meetings with manager
Meetings with service
representatives
Trainings
Nonverbal Communication
Observing other people in events
Observing other people in face to face meetings
Observing other people in video meetings
Observing other people during lunches and coffees Information
Seeking
Asking questions from colleagues
Asking questions from services representatives
Asking questions from manager
Axiom Action 1 Action 2 Action 3 Action 4
Intimacy Level in
Communication
Discussing less personal topics in the beginning with others
Further on discussing more personal and deeper topics
Meeting other professors and look for similarities
Noticing
dissimilarities in other people
Reciprocity Stakeholders and new colleagues to give same level and amount of information as received from newcomer
Stakeholders and new colleagues to try not to dominate the discussion
Similarity In meetings come across people with alike attitudes
When meeting people, find shared affect
In the long run spend your time with those you are alike with Liking Preference to
be with those who you like
Preference to be with those you like you
Table 5: Uncertainty reduction theory (Berger & Calabrese 1975) items in professor onboarding framework